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Tag: growth

In 5 years…

I see this again and again with my clients. I’ve even done it myself.

We have so many choices, so many options, it’s difficult to settle on long-term decisions and commit. Paralyzed with indecision and uncertainty, we get in our own way and waver from one idea to the next. A helpful exercise:

Envision the person you’d like to become.

Think about your work life.

Your home.

Where you’d like to live.

Who you’re spending your time with.

Get detailed and really imagine it. Write it out so you can refer back to this dream often.

When you allow yourself to imagine an overall vision, it becomes an umbrella under which daily decisions can be made and choices become easier to manage.

Your future has an exponential number of possibilities. Don’t cheat yourself out of any of them.

Tipping the scale

The first [move, action, event, product, decision] is always the scariest, most anxiety provoking, most intimidating. Getting beyond that initial hump becomes a matter of mettle and courage as you muster the courage you need to leap over fear.

Can you build a framework that sets you up so that if you don’t do x-y-z, you can recognize that fear has won? Fix your gaze, define your goal, and work backwards to develop concrete steps that corner you into action. Make it impossible to do nothing.

Once you have a plan in place and you’ve deliberately chosen to ignore it (develop excuses or suddenly become “too busy”), your work is then to name your fear and dive headfirst into your beliefs about yourself and the world.

Get out of your own way. You can always choose to do nothing, but I dare you to tip the scale. Let me know what steps you’re taking to move the needle.

Get out of a career that isn’t working for you

Several years ago, I made the transition from social worker to social curator. My time spent working in courtrooms and jail cells paved the way for boardroom negotiations and architecting group dynamics. When I tell people my story, questions ultimately focus on how I made this transition. Part curiosity, part plea for guidance, people want to know how it’s done, the best way to make the change, and why one might forfeit investment and status in an preexisting career.
The fact is most of us have found ourselves in positions we don’t care for — stifling work environments, tedious responsibilities, redundant tasks, meaningless contributions. Baby Boomers reportedly hop from as many as fifteen (or more!) jobs during their working prime, and over half of college graduates are unable to land opportunities in their preferred fields.

It’s not your job. It’s your industry.

After spending years and precious dollars on education and training, the time and commitment you dump into your career is sacred. Changing industries seems daunting. It’s tempting to stay in a position because you’ve invested so much of yourself to get there.

Changing careers could lead to meaningful work.

A career change may not only benefit your wellbeing but also jump start your professional trajectory. The skills you’ve acquired in your current role may provide that extra edge you need to supercharge and lead a new team. Your unique perspective and approach could be a perfect addition to the innovative company looking for a competitive edge.
I won’t lie. The process of positioning yourself to land this new gig might be slow, gradual, even painful. You’ll have to plot deliberate steps until you’re able to carve a niche in a new industry.
I’ve found the risk and the work to be absolutely worth it, so I’ve pinpointed concrete steps to help others looking to make a change:
1. Meaningful conversations lead to meaningful relationships.

  • Talk. And talk a lot. Talk with people in the industry you’re leaving. Talk with people in the industry you’d like to enter. Talk with a counselor, a friend, a trusted advisor. Ask questions and get the good, bad, and the ugly of the move you’re looking to make. Leave no stone unturned and gather as much information as possible.
  • While you’re still in your present industry, focus your attention away from the work you’re dissatisfied with and onto the people who surround you. Schedule twenty-minute informational interviews to learn more about the opportunities within your dream industry and build rapport with role models.
  • Follow up emails and thank you notes to individuals who have helped you along your career journey build trust and credibility as you travel from one industry to the next. You never know when your paths may intersect, and positive recommendations during transitions are always a plus.

2. Get strategic.

  • Don’t make changes before clarifying your end goal. Your new career choice is now your research project. Work backwards until you develop a plan that makes sense.
  • Take time to honestly assess your strengths, skills, and talents before setting concrete goals. Start identifying transferable skills and look for ways to leverage these skills in various industries. Are you a master negotiator? Think about how these skills might apply within your intended field. Wanting to enter a position that requires skills you don’t have? Sign up for classes through Skillshare or General Assembly.

3. Actively seek opportunities.

  • Make the most of your after-hours: find freelance work, an apprenticeship, a new hobby. Spending time on things that bring you joy will infuse positive energy into your existing role and will help make your career change more manageable.
  • Look for additional work streams within your current position. Divert your focus away from your present job dissatisfaction and onto projects that excite you. By placing yourself in environments that can refine your talents and skills, you will attract the connections and opportunities that align with your career goals.
  • Schedule regular coffee dates with people you admire. Learn about their work habits, how they structure their days, how they got to where they are. Ask how they confront challenges and where they go to find inspiration.

4. Just do it.

  • Once you’ve decided a career change is the right move for you, carry applicable experience with you and confidently move forward.
  • Your industry transition will mostly likely feel intimidating: lost titles, less stability, a lower position on the hiring chain. Keep your eye on the prize.
  • Yes, it’s scary. You have to start somewhere.

5. Savor Beginner’s Mind.

  • Once you’ve made the leap, start slowly and take time to learn. You’re only a beginner once; enjoy your first entry into a new world.
  • Savor the ups and downs, the moments of exhilaration and frustration. Use your passion to propel a sharp learning curve and revel in your accomplished career change. You’re a traveler, an adventurer. Reflect, write, acknowledge your journey.

Have you you’ve ended up in an unexpected professional role? Did your education prepare you for the role you’re presently in? What skills have accompanied you along your career journey? I want to hear about your career change. Send me a note.

Is quitting an option?

Quitting might be the best thing you can do.

Quitting is a largely underrated skill. By removing yourself from situations that are detrimental to your growth, you place yourself on the fast track towards opportunity and success. Read more on why quitting might be good for you in this NY Times article.
A few things you might consider quitting:

  • where you live
  • your career
  • relationships
  • your job
  • destructive habits
  • irrelevant projects
  • time wasters
  • negative thoughts

Why (and when) should I quit?

Questions to help you decide if quitting is the best option:

  1. Is this person / situation / job / environment helping me move closer to the person I aim to be?
  2. Do I find this person / situation / job / environment supportive or destructive?
  3. Am I inspired to think big, create, start, and finish?
  4. Is the work I am doing meaningful, important to me, bettering my community, and/or changing lives?
  5. Do I mostly feel calm, confidant, and secure?
  6. Am I able to nourish most aspects of my being (mental, physical, spiritual) and accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself?

[You can also check out this Should I Quit? online questionnaire. Or find someone who can help you walk through this process.]

You always have options.

Instead of quitting, you could:

  • hope the situation improves
  • wait for things to change
  • complain about them
  • work to improve them
  • ignore them
  • get fired
  • settle

The important thing is that you realize you have choices.
The difficult part is honestly assessing which one is right for you.

When “some” is better than “done”

It’s tempting to delay beginnings. Starting a project carries a certain amount of anxiety and trepidation. Eventually this emotional upheaval is conquered, and a new relationship forms — a protective, cautious, calculating awareness of your dream. Your time, energy, passion, love, and sacrifice have been invested into this work, and your pride is as stake. Suddenly, progress is never just right, the piece is never perfect; it lies unfinished.

It’s up to you to define the dividing line between obsession and creation. It takes honesty and acceptance to separate work you’re proud of from slop that requires more attention. However, if you don’t begin, you won’t have anything to revise or shape. Your idea will be just that — an abstract concept with no real testing power.

What if you could accept a tolerable first iteration? Embrace the fact that unless you’re lucky or highly skilled, there’s a good chance you’ll look back at your first draft and cringe. Set specific goals and concrete checkpoints to overcome perfection paralysis and create something rather than nothing.

Do you wonder how other people get started? Not sure how to label finished from needs work? Ask others for tips during today’s twitter chat, 4pm EST (use #cxchat).

Do you have what you want?

True or false:

  1. Fairy tales are real.
  2. Adventure isn’t just for vacation.
  3. Your work can be meaningful.
  4. You have the ability to create more stability and security than with any employer.

Throughout my work with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and 1:1 clients, I’ve pinpointed three key areas that prevent belief in the above:

  • Resentment
  • Lack of focus
  • Stagnation (disguised fear)

As a result, I’ve developed a methodology to help people push beyond perceived limits and get what they really desire. It’s based on the following principles:

Get honest

Easier for some people than others… make the time and find someplace quiet to sit down and get real with yourself. You’ll need to make a commitment to be honest about what it is you want, how you spend your time, who your closest relationships are, what kind of environments nourish your soul. Being able to identify crucial aspects of your personality, character, likes, dislikes, and leadership preferences (do you listen, lead, or follow?) can help you with the next step.

Set goals

The goals you set for yourself provide the framework for your energy and efforts. Without specific goals, you won’t be as effective; your intentions and actions less efficient. The trick is to identify goals that are meaningful and relevant for you (sometimes folks confuse another person’s expectations and preferences with their own).

Once you’ve labeled what you want and have set both long and short-term goals accordingly, you’ll be able to do your best work. Get what you want by working backwards is a post that can help you create a plan that will crush obstacles and conquer blocks (both internal and external) that might stop you in your tracks. Your fears have a more difficult time hiding when you have concrete goals in mind and on paper.

Ship

The final stage, and perhaps the most important. Perfectionism, commitment issues, laziness, self hatred — these kinds of things show up here. Guess what? They’re mostly about fear. By forcing yourself to put your work into the world, you’ll learn that products don’t need to be perfect to be finished. You may even realize that your biggest obstacle in getting things done is…you. Ship, and show fear who is boss.

I’ve been using a tailored version of this formula with a number of clients and have watched incredible transformations take place. If you’re interested in learning more and seeing whether our work together might help you, feel free to drop me a note. I’d love to hear what’s working (and what isn’t) for you.