Want a job you love ? Here it's how to get started.
Aiste Saulyte Photography, www.aistesaulyte.co.uk
So you know that' it’s time to get a job you truly love , that lights you up from the inside out and give a deeper meaning to the time you invest in it every day, but where to get started?
Often the first sign it’s an inner knowing, a soft whisper or simply a gut feeling that tell us that we are here for more, that there is more possible out there and as much as we try to rationalize our current situation that whisper doesn’t stop, it keeps on tickling our attention over and over again until we cannot ignore it anymore.
And that’s the kind of knowing that it’s not reversible, once we know we cannot go back!
But what to do from there?
The idea of changing our current reality seems so scary and we certainly don’t want to be disappointed at making the wrong choices.
That is what I would call phase 1 , the phase of awareness and self-connection because it all starts inside of us.
The connection with our intuition is such a precious gift and we want to keep that connection open regularly, daily if possible because that will be our compass all along the career change journey.
The reason why there isn’t in my opinion a “one size fits all process” to find a job you love it’s because we are all different and we may found ourselves at different stages of the change when we become aware of it. Some of you may be in a job you hate and the dread you feel everyday it’s what it’s awakening your intuition, for others it may happen while studying and realizing that that’s not the right direction for you , for others it happens after falling in love with someone that help us see our potential more clearly, or after being laid off from a job unexpectedly or being attracted to an hobby that could turn into a career or feeling bored and stagnant in our current job …
No matter where you are, you’re exactly where you’re meant to be and there is no better age, path or external circumstances to make the change. You’re ready !
Said that I have identified in the last few years of coaching women in their purpose and career that there are general steps you can take according to where you’re at :
Get to know yourself and make it a practice
Create a safe space every week where to spend some time alone and just be with yourself. This is a safe space where to tune into your feelings, body and lower the volume of the external world so you can listen to your inner voice. That’s where the intuition awakens. It’s also a space to understand what matters to you, the lifestyle you want and all the pieces of the puzzle that make you.
Discover what you love in general
Ask yourself what do you love, what lights you up, what o you dream of doing in your free time, what were you enjoying as a child. We want to open up the tap of your inner wealth and freely be guided to what’s calling you.
Experiment
This is a fun phase to follow the bread crumbs and do what lights you up. Taking these actions it’s important to go from thoughts to reality but even more important it’s to do not put any pressure on yourself! You’re just playing here and it’s not a time to evaluate how to turn hobbies into a career.
Become friend with your inner stories
Now that you’re stepping into unknown territory your mind will start to go crazy and try to protect you bringing up all the stories of why you shouldn’t continue in that exploration and you should instead stay in your comfort zone. That’s where mindset work comes in :-) And it ‘s an ongoing work all along the process!
Commit to a direction
This is the phase in which you start to make an idea a reality and it does require a decision, a commitment to make it real. However know that commitment doesn’t mean that you have signed a contract with yourself forever, you can still change your mind! But it is a phase in which you want to jump into your choice with both feet and give yourself a clear time frame to take action , without that commitment it’s very hard to convince others to hire you or to create your own business.
Talk to the right people
Explorative interviews and networking : Start asking questions and talking about it with the people “in the arena” so the people that inspire you in that sector or space and will give you valuable information to understand if that’s actually a good fit for you. I don’t recommend talking too much about it early on with friends and family because they may influence your choice and changes are scary, almost more for them than for yourself !
Take the leap
Once you have figured out and refine what exactly you want it’s time to update your CV, research companies, apply and all that jam. With the strong foundation you’ve built this phase will actually come quite naturally and the preparation will not be so scary.
The new journey starts now!
Now the ride starts and with that there is a continuous work of checking in with yourself, tweaking and growing !
As you have seen you may find yourself at different steps of this process and when I talk to new clients sometimes they are at the last phase without having considered the previous ones yet.
Finally I want to leave you with two nuggets of wisdom :
There is no “right time”
No matter what you’ll choose to do, it’ll still feel like a job in some way or form even if you love what you do ! And that’s OK. Like Elizabeth Gilbert said in her book Big Magic, it’s really about choosing which “shit sandwich” you’re willing to eat :-p
I really hope you’ve enjoyed this article and I’d love to hear back from you , which phase are you in ? And what are the challenges you’re facing ?
I’d love to support you in starting your journey to a job you truly love !
