5 Ways To Empower You On Your Career Change Journey
Are you a career changer? 5 Ways to Empower You
Thinking of a career change? Taking a pivot in one’s career these days is considered a norm. Work is an important aspect in all of our lives.
In older generations, a career was perceived as a job that would pay the bills and allow financial stability to survive. The younger generation is about pursuing careers that resonate with our values, adds meaning, and make a positive difference in every way possible.
But what are some of the thought processes that occur to approach a career change?
This week, my thoughts on careers have been inspired by a book called ‘Pencils of Promise: How An Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change,’ by Adam Braun.
This book was recommended by a dear cousin of mine from overseas and it deeply resonated with me. The book tells the tale of how a young successful man working at a prestigious company was inspired by his travels to found his own organization and make a meaningful difference to the world. The highlight of the story tells the tale of his breakthrough, ruminations on a drastic career turn, and what it took to be where he is today.
Here are 5 takeaways from the book that I believe are powerful tools during periods of doubt that can empower you along your journey.
1. “The biggest difference between the person who lives his or her dreams and the person who aspires is the decision to convert that first spark of motivation into immediate action.”
Have you ever found yourself sitting on a thought, a passion, or something you wanted to do for your life but have always delayed it? An idea that is inspirational, can be a life-changing idea, but has always taken the back seat.
How about finding yourself sitting comfortably in a job that does not truly resonate with you. Then comes sporadic desire to jump into work that is more meaningful, more aligned and work illustrates MORE than what you do from the 9–5.
All it takes is a step to move forward and act on the thought.
When changing careers, the beginning is always the period of uncertainty and perhaps the most daunting. But at the end of the day, you will be working towards what is meaningful to yourself and more true to you.
2. “Asking for permission is asking for denial’’
Breaking news to your loved ones about your interest in a career change can be intimidating. But in cases like these, I found what worked for me was to show, not tell.
Avoid asking ‘’if I can do XYZ,’’ because no one can really provide you an answer on what you should be doing. You must make the decision that is best for you and show your strength. It takes strength to do something no one dares too, but it takes more courage to stand up for what you believe in.
So be a wildflower and bloom your own way.
3. ‘’Big ideas are a product of small, intersecting moments and realisations moving us towards breakthrough’’
Change doesn’t occur overnight. It is perpetual and ever-growing.
Over time, I learned that my biggest ideas and aspirations are the product of the more small and significant thoughts throughout moments in my life. Consequently, all it takes is devotion and investing time into what is important to you and your goals.
4. “Your twenties are the time to both accept and fight your way into the person you’re destined to become.”
When I was in my late teens I set myself up to be at a particular stage by 25. Don’t we all? We all experienced that particular wishful innocent thinking.
But having gained experience, more aware throughout almost half of my twenties, I’ve learned to accept that choosing the path of where I want to be in the next 10 years is an ongoing battle.
Because I learned that no path is easy. But I am deciding to choose which path I am willing to march down, with a crown on my head and shape the person I want to become.
Who is the person you want to become?
5. “At certain moments in your life, you just know that everything after will change. You can ignore these moments by not acting on the new set of possibilities they enable, and your life will stay the same. But if you say yes to their reverberating potential, your life path alters permanently.”
They say you won’t know if you don’t try. But you’ve tried, you’ve experimented and you know that something out there is leading you to bigger things that are important to you and can add more value to your life.
I probably can’t justify how one really feels in moments like these as we are our own individuals and each experience is unique to one’s own.
What I can say is the small glimmering light, the recurring thought that makes me jump and lights up my eyes with inspiration, that is the moment that is calling to me. I feel the small crackling flame that wants to grow into a large burning hot flame.
That is when I knew my path will change. It takes bravery to acknowledge it and the audacity to grab a hold of it indefinitely.
Believe in yourself, because I believe in you.
Strive For Change Today. Thrive Better Tomorrow.
Originally published at https://www.thekatiekode.com on June 10, 2020.
