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Build your courage muscle to make a career change
By Barbara Poole
Career Coach
I recently spent a week with my 77-year-old Aunt Betty, a modern pioneer woman who lives alone yet is surrounded by friends in the northern reaches of the Canadian prairie.
From my earliest childhood memories of Betty, I have always known her to be feisty, opinionated and outspoken. Now, in her twilight years, she is channeling that strong-willed energy into nuggets of wisdom that she dispenses to those who visit and she is never at a loss for a pointed gem to share. And so, on this particular visit, as she was dropping me off at the airport, her parting thoughts were, “Do everything you want to do and be courageous about it. Don’t miss out on anything that life has to offer out of fear.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about this advice and, in particular, how it applies to the career dilemmas in which so many of the people I work with find themselves. Although I’ve never actually taken a count, my hunch is that most of my clients who yearn to make a career change actually have some idea of what they would like to be doing instead. It’s not a lack of identifiable options that gets in their way; it’s fear, plain and simple.
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions we experience and it has the luxury of being self-reinforcing because the comfort zone it keeps us in is a safe, albeit boring, place to be. We fear failure, or conversely, we fear success. We fear what other people will think. We fear that we won’t be able to support ourselves in the manner to which we’ve become accustomed. We fear making a bad choice and jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Many career fears are unfounded and don’t have a basis in logical fact. However, our imaginations being the creative forces that they are, we manage to cook up the worst possible scenarios in our minds and use them as justification to stay stuck.
What if you decided to stare down the fear factor? What would it take to develop your courage muscle when it comes to making the career change you claim you have been wanting for a long time? Here are some steps you can take to cultivate the courage to take the plunge:
Just begin. I often encounter people who have read every self-help book and taken every inventory and assessment test out there in an effort to get moving in a new direction. Although these tools can be useful, they often become yet another hiding place for people who have a sense of what they want, but are afraid to get started. Dive in. It’s the only way to begin swimming to the other side.
Ask yourself, “What’s the best that could happen?” When it comes to planning for a career transition, a lot of energy gets expended on catastrophizing. Turn the “What if?” question upside down and use it to paint a picture of the most fabulous outcome you can imagine. We’re always more likely to achieve what we focus on, so envision a successful and smooth transition.
Manage your self-talk. The career transition process is fertile ground for the gremlin who sits inside your head and likes to tell you that you’re not smart/talented/qualified/creative/lucky enough to get and keep the job you really want. Work on developing your radar for this kind of self-sabotage. When you spot some negative commentary coming on about your own abilities, substitute a proclamation that indeed, you have what it takes to capture and master the job of your dreams.
Get your hands on good information. A well-informed career changer always has the edge. It’s essential to get your hands on accurate data about the job, industry and companies you are interested in and study them backwards and forwards. Make sure you also have a good handle on the reality of your own circumstances, including your budgetary, financial and personal needs, such as child care and transportation logistics.
Connect with the people who can help you achieve your objectives. Before you can land the job you want, you have to become visible to the people who have one to offer. Lean into your professional and support networks and allow your contacts to help you with the transition.
Don’t let fear stand between you and the job that would make your heart sing. Resolve today to take the steps that will build your courage muscle and pave the way to the career that you deserve.
Barbara Poole is a leadership and career development coach with Success Builders Inc. E-mail her at coachbarbara@successbuildersinc.com.
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