The Top Three Things Career Transitioners Need to Know Right Now- and How to Use Them to Their Advantage
Limiting beliefs are human beliefs.
We want to take the road that seems safest. Well-travelled. Predictable.
The trouble comes when we begin to trust that our limiting beliefs are absolute facts, buying into the doubts, insecurities, and innate caution, often causing us to be stuck in a place of inauthenticity, wondering whether the grass is greener on the other side.
(The secret’s out – the grass is greener where you water it!)
Doubts and fears don’t belong to the conscious, analytical mind, but to the emotional one. In order to access your creativity, imagination, and innovation while allowing yourself to be analytical and data-oriented, you need to investigate your limiting beliefs.
Does this mean you need to throw out everything you thought you knew? Of course not!
It’s simply an invitation to take a closer look at who’s in your driver’s seat. Is it doubt? Uncertainty? Anxiety? The more you reflect, the closer you will be to uncovering the root cause of those beliefs that keep you from living the life and career you are completely capable of living.
Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
Meet Bernice.
Bernice is fifty-five years old, in the best physical shape of her life, and feeling fulfilled in her career as a business owner…
…on the outside.
Internally, Bernice is struggling to find the motivation, confidence, and energy to lead her company and feels as if she could collapse at any moment. This feeling isn’t new to Bernice; she’s used to going it alone, exhausting all the avenues at her disposal to solve the issue at hand before asking for outside help. Afterall, this would mean showing weakness to a coach or large group, right?
What if Bernice were to pause and allow herself to heed the advice that she reads in the leadership books and articles she reads? She might then realize that asking for help is a strength in itself.
We would never expect someone stuck in a burning building to yell, “No help needed here! I’m all good!”
So why would we expect silence of ourselves when we are struggling with a career transition or adjustment?
Finding a safe, nurturing, and healthy environment in which we can address our fears or challenges head-on – with the support of colleagues, a mentor, or a coach – is more than okay. It’s better. And it’s smart.
Managing doubts and taking action
Meet Todd.
Todd is an international business liaison non-profit companies in his late forties. He has worked for his current employer for over fifteen years; he finds his work fulfilling, and he feels well-compensated, but he has been considering launching his own consulting firm for over a year as a way to make an even greater impact and to have more free time with his family.
Todd is wondering:
- How much money should I have saved up before I quit my job in case my new business doesn’t work out?
- I’ve already got so much on my plate, how could I possibly take on additional learning, even if it would be beneficial?
- When should I be working on my business idea if all my time is being allocated to my current job?
Like Todd, many entrepreneurs don’t get their feet off the ground at all, believing that everything must be perfectly in place before even considering leaving their current position.
A coach or mentor may ask…
Where is the belief coming from that this business may not work out? What kind of message are you sending yourself and others about your new business when you think of it this way?
There may never be an exact “right time,” but consider whether you have done your due diligence in order to prepare this new business to be out into the world. Have you done your market research? Do you have a plan in place for becoming profitable quickly? Have you surrounded yourself with reliable people to help you?
Looking deeper, how much energy and time are you truly spending at your current job? Think about the commute, the recovery time after your workday, and the outside preparation or tasks you accomplish on the weekends or in the evenings. You may find that you have more time than you considered or that the tasks that need to be accomplished to prepare yourself to launch your new business are simpler than you imagined (although that doesn’t mean they are easy!).
If nothing changes, it may be years before Todd launches his new firm, if ever.
Working with an experienced mentor- and surrounding himself with a supportive network- will help Todd not only identify the actions that are most impactful to his business, but it will save him so much time and energy while simultaneously moving the needle forward. He may see increased opportunities for connections, gain confidence, and convince himself that now is the right time to take a leap.
In PointNorth’s signature program, From Doubt to Confidence for Career Transitioners, we know valuable your time is. And we also know that the vast majority of our clients are more equipped to navigate their professional shifts than they even realize. That’s why we structure our work together into 10-minutes-or-less quick simply daily exercises geared towards helping you discover what’s already there, then putting it to use strategically to achieve your goals.
We work smarter, not harder. For you.
Making the decision to leave a long-term career
Meet Caroline.
She is a 42-year-old teacher in the United States who has worked in charter school systems for over 20 years. She finally completed her Master’s Degree in education after years of starting and stopping…but she is deeply unhappy as a teacher.
Shifts in the field of education and in her personal life have her wondering whether she should follow her first passion: creating and sharing her visual art.
Caroline has never seen herself as an entrepreneur and wonders whether she should listen to her doubts. She is asking:
- Is it too late for me, even at this age, to start something completely new?
- I invested time, education, and money into my career, so how can I leave all that behind and not get the ROI?
- What might people think if I abandon something that appears to be such a good fit?
Making the decision to leave a long-term career is as complex as it gets.
Now, it may be unwise of Caroline to give her notice and leave her job without preparing for the launch of her new business. Without adequate research, planning, and introspection, it would be a little like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
A business coach or mentor can meet Caroline right where she is to help her determine what path will truly align with who she is and what she wants to create in the future.
Should Caroline make the leap into a new career that more closely aligns with what she wants to create in the world, she is likely to find success (as long as she surrounds herself with a experienced support system and the knowledge to make it work!).
The Power of Mindset
Having a “positive mindset” is a phrase we see touted across the coaching and mentoring space, but it’s important to acknowledge just how powerful a limiting mindset can be. When the primary component of your mindset is doubt, guilt, or uncertainty, it can be difficult to discover and take the actions that will propel you into a better future for yourself.
Instead of waiting until you’ve slid down the ladder of uncertainty, ask for help while you’re at your peak.
Seek advice, mentorship, coaching, and community when you are feeling most ready to take the next step in your career evolution.
With a mindset focused on creating a positive outcome, fully invested in the belief that what you are doing will work, you will attract the people, knowledge, and confidence to step with certainty and clarity into the next phase of your career – and your life.
Ready to dive into your limiting beliefs? Registration for our acclaimed From Doubt to Confidence for Career Transitioners is now open! Our next cohort begins on June 16th. This 8-week course will initiate sustainable change in your life through personalized small-group coaching, quick daily practices, and coursework. Reserve your seat today!
