Author: Ami Au-Yeung / Source: Lifehack
Career changes are tough. As adults, there are many factors that impact our decisions – family, finances, life partner, or the labor market. As you analyze and plan, it’s easy to fall victim to your own preconceived notions and jaded assumptions.
You may even talk yourself out of the change and stay where you are as you get stuck in your loop of thoughts and worries.
Instead, I urge you to understand the emotions attached to change and apply this work skills list to help manage the emotions that come with your next career transition.Get ready to peel back the layers, do some inner work, and exercise your mental tenacity to embrace your desired career change.
Recognize the Emotions of Change
While individual reactions to change will vary, there are some common emotions that you’ll likely experience as you embark on a career change.[1]
1. Fear of the Unknown
Humans are creatures of habit, and like feeling safe and comfortable. Uncertain thoughts and emotions can flood our minds as we embrace change:
- What if I fail?
- I’ll need to go back to school.
- It’s too late to make a change now.
2. Frustration and Anxiety
The thought of changing careers may have you stuck in worryville and it’s common for self-doubt to creep into your mind.
The mere thought of how a career change may impact your life can bring about behaviours that stall you from taking tiny steps toward any changes:
- I can’t take a pay cut.
- My family depends on me.
- I’ll need to start from scratch.
- I’ve worked hard for my promotions, benefits and pension.
3. Know Your Emotional Triggers
While we desire changes in our lives, we’re sometimes met with resistance within ourselves.
[2] It will take time to address and overcome the stories and assumptions that we’ve told ourselves since our experiences have likely clouded our perceptions and judgements.The good news? This is a great opportunity to shift your mindset and challenge your own beliefs. As you embrace your next career change, tiny or big, track your thought patterns:
- What are you telling yourself and why? During uncertain times our inner critic and negative thoughts can easily enter our brain. You have a chance to replace your self-doubt with new ones, or at least learn to tame them.
- Check your assumptions. Challenge preconceived notions about yourself. Are they really true and how can you confirm them?
- Question preconceived notions of what others are thinking about you. What’s the importance of their thoughts? Why does it matter to you so much? Are you seeking their approval?
Looking inward and being honest with yourself can help you move forward with career changes that you desire.
Work Skills to Change Careers and Thrive at Your Next Job
In my 15 plus year working career, I’ve experienced four major career changes so far. And each time, I learn something new that I wish I would have known to make each career transition a little easier.
1. Fill up on Patience
Our world of work is changing so fast. You’ll need to be able to naturally go with the ebbs and flows of your career. Equip yourself with these skills to embrace your next opportunity and challenge:
Sleep.[3] Recharging your brain sufficiently with at least 7 hours of sleep can help you to manage emotional challenges and you’ll be less likely to overreact when you get annoyed or frustrated. Sleep needs to be your first priority, not an afterthought, so that you can optimize your health and tackle your goals.[4]
Slow down. We sometimes have a tendency to rush through our day without much thought. When you feel rushed or impatient, take mindful breaths and pause. Be deliberate about your next action.
2. Grow with Rejection by Leveraging Your Strengths
You’ll likely talk about your career change with those close to you, and eventually with others as you gather more information to help you make informed decisions about the changes you want to make.
While some will be supportive, you’ll be faced with some naysayers who will dismiss your ideas or worse – not respond. This may add to your self-doubt.
Have courage. This…
The post The Ultimate Work Skills List to Help You Change Careers appeared first on FeedBox.