If you’ve ever been in a position where you’re not quite sure what to do next with your career, you’re not alone. I’ve been in that very spot myself. It’s confusing and can be painful when you are driven to succeed.
It generally comes up when you’ve had a negative experience at work, or you don’t want your boss’s position so have lost a lot of motivation to progress, or you are generally burnt out and need a change of scene. Perhaps you have been made redundant or you’re at work going through the motions, and just have a feeling that you want something to change. You want something more – you want to fulfill your potential!
I hit this particular wall a while back when I was working on some big projects in public relations. I certainly didn’t want my boss’s job as they were even more stressed than I! It was a real turn off and I decided that I wanted something different for myself, than going prematurely gray.
I just wasn’t sure what that was, and the more I tried to pinpoint it, the more the answer eluded me. As it turned out, the answer was to try a different strand of work within my field and I have now managed to nail a job with more elements that I enjoy than not, married with a work life balance that eluded me previously. What I thought would be even harder turned out to unexpectedly be a far better option for me within my line of work, so it certainly pays to keep an open mind and talk to people about various options. Never rule anything out before you’ve considered whether the job – and company – is in line with your values.
While you’re in the process of finding a career that you love and that fits with your personal values, I suggest changing focus. Here’s how.
Treat your job as just that for a little while: a job.
Career-driven people put their heart and souls into their work, and you are probably no exception to this. This is why it’s so heartbreaking when things are not on an ideal path and you’re not enjoying it. By sectioning off your career as a means to an end for a little while, you’ll be in a better position to effectively sever your emotions from the role you’re not enjoying.
Implement more of the things you love into your life.
This involves identifying what you enjoy doing, then making time for yourself to do it. Not just once a week: every day. Surround and immerse yourself with the things you love in your spare waking moments. For example, I love reading anything about health and wellbeing. I also love reading “chick lit”, which I denied myself for years because I thought that I should be reading more high-brow novels, given my education and career in the field of media. Now, I’ve decided that life’s too short and I should do what I love and what makes me happy, even if others would turn their noses up at it.
Who knows? You might even find your ideal career or start a new business through pursuing the activities you truly enjoy.
Work on the elements of yourself that you want to change.
When we’re in a job we don’t enjoy, sometimes it’s because we’ve attracted that into our lives through some personal experience or lagging negativity from the past. Use this ‘in between’ time to work on changing the points about yourself that you know need work. You’ll be in a better position to embrace the life and career you love if you are feeling more confident about yourself!
When have you made a decision about the direction of your career – and what helped?