The 5 Steps I Took In My Own Career Transition
Welcome to my first blog!
I’m excited to be writing this and I hope you’re sitting in a comfortable spot, ready to take some time out of your day to learn a thing or two about my passions - career transition, our subconscious mind and empowering you to make a meaningful change.
It seems like a sensible place to start by sharing my own story with you.
Deciding that the role I’d done for 22 years was no longer for me and that it was time to move on to pastures new.
It can often take a while to fully recognise and acknowledge that you’re at a career crossroads, let alone figuring out which way to turn when you realise you’re at that potential pivot.
Below are the 5 things I did that helped me work out my next career move. I hope they help you too.
1. I recognised and said it out loud that I didn’t want to stay doing what I was doing any more
That might not seem like a big deal but it is!
It creates a sense of accountability.
It makes it real.
By denying it or burying the thoughts of moving on in your career or heading in a different direction, you’ll only continue to wonder ‘what if’ and the niggle will only get louder.
And if you don’t tell anyone that you’re considering making a leap, well… it means you can stay where you are and not have to do anything about it!
Which isn’t the point is it?!
2. I started to explore what my next career direction could be.
At that stage all I knew was that I didn’t want to stay in a similar role for the next 25 years. I also knew that I had a lot to give, that my experience in business and the corporate world wouldn’t be wasted.
But that was it!
Knowing that I probably wanted to do my own thing and start my own business helped too (and that isn’t for everyone, I’m not here to tell you to become an entrepreneur if it isn’t for you).
Having that as my starting point was really helpful.
Your starting point might be that you want to pursue your passion for science, writing, sport.
It doesn’t really matter.
As long as you start exploring. Then the rest of the journey will unfold.
3. I started to network (and pick people’s brains!)
I had a friend who had a baby and toddler music franchise locally. I met her for coffee and picked her brains about running her own business, what owning a franchise was like, how she’d grown it and got new clients.
I joined a local women’s networking group and got inspired by this lovely group of ladies who had all done what I wanted to do - leave the corporate world behind them and start something for themselves. (I felt like such a fraud at that networking evening for such a long time… introducing myself as ‘someone who wants to be like you one day’ isn’t the best elevator pitch, but I was honest that I had no clue and that I was there to be inspired by their journey).
I’d chat to anyone and everyone about what it was like to start your own business. To make the leap and change career direction.
4. I began to read personal development books (and it changed my life!)
One of the talks I’d heard at the networking group mentioned some self improvement books and it piqued my interest.
Up to that point the only ‘self help’ book (as they were called then!) I’d read was ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’ (remember that one?!).
So I entered this whole new world of personal growth, mindset change and doing the ‘inner’ work.
And I loved it!
Where had this been all my life?!
And why on earth weren’t companies like the one I was working for sharing this kind of stuff with people to help them improve their personal and business performance?
The first book I read was by Amy Morin. ‘The 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do’.
It really opened my eyes to some of the stuff from my past that I was still holding on to.
It really shifted my thinking.
I still recommend her book to this day as a really good entry level book for people starting their own personal growth journey.
And then I devoured as many books as I could get hold of!
5. I got brave enough and bold enough.
All the work I’d done on myself by reading these books (I’d read them at my desk or out on a bench at lunchtime rather than sit gossipping with the rest of the team) created a real shift in my mindset.
It made me realise I already had everything I needed to do what I really wanted to do.
Quit my current role.
So I did.
Now, before you ask, NO I don’t recommend this as a preferred course of action.
I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my career, so leaving before I’d worked that through wasn’t the smartest idea.
But (and this is probably for another blog post!) there was a ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ incident at work and that was it.
I couldn't stay a moment longer.
It turns out that decision was one of the best I’ve ever made (they put me on garden leave so I got paid for 3 months while I figured it out!)
But what had happened by taking the four previous steps was that it gave me COURAGE and CONFIDENCE.
I knew I had it in me to make a go of whatever I chose to do.
And so do you.
Tell someone your dreams. Explore your options. Network. Do the ‘inner work’ on yourself.
Get bold and brave.
Until next time.
Lou xxx
You’ve totally got this. And if you think you’d like some support in getting there, you could book in a call with me to chat things through and see if my support is something that could help you right now?
