Don't let these misguided beliefs and fear-driven mindsets hold you back.
So you know you're not happy in your career, and you fantasise about doing something different.
Maybe you know what that is, and maybe you have no idea where to start. But there's one thing you know for sure: You're feeling miserable, and trapped, and you want it to stop.
But then... as soon as you start contemplating it, your brain sends you all these warning signals that stop you in your tracks. What are these mindset saboteurs, these beliefs which are holding you back, and what can you do about them?
Let's explore...
First, a note on the brain. Brains are prediction-machines which are constantly scanning the environment for threat. They are also lazy, and so can't differentiate perceived threat from the real dangers. Anything it doesn't like, or doesn't know how it's going to turn out for certain, goes into a DANGER category.
It can lead you to avoid the discomfort.
You don't have to be victim for your poorly-evolved brain, though. By recognising what you're thinking, and reframing some of these thoughts, you can reclaim your power and move ahead with the change you know you want to make.
Here are the common mindset saboteurs I see as a Career Coach, in clients who desperately want to do something else.
Believing you have to start from scratch
I can't emphasise enough how much this isn't true.
Sure, there are some career changes which will require new training. If you're a florist who wants to become an architect, you have to go back to school, obviously. But you're never starting from scratch.
MINDSET REFRAME: You have so much value that travels with you, into the new venture. All your hard-won experiences, skills, strengths and traits, come with you. They transfer across.
You are always building on experience, never starting over.
Believing you can only make one final change
One of the great evolutions of careers over the past 30 years, is that of the SQUIGGLY CAREER. Yes, the shift away from the linear, upwards, one-career-forever-in-one-company model and into one with flex and squiggly-ness built in.
We've seen a 'lattice' career model emerge, full of:
Stretch assignments
Deputising roles
Sideways moves
Secondments
Sabbaticals
Rotations
And yet, when we think about moving into something else, we bring with us this old-fashioned mentality that it's rigid, and forever. That it would be our final destination, and that we therefore can't afford to make any mistakes or try something too different, in case it doesn't work out.
This is to fundamentally miss the point about what career changes can offer.
This is about experimentation, exploration, and discovery.
According to First Direct, 23% of all UK workers regret their first career choice. How sad would it be if they felt compelled to stay in it forever?
MINDSET REFRAME: You are not carved in stone, you evolve and so do your priorities and goals. It's natural and right for what you're interested in doing, to evolve too.
Thinking that it's too late
The irony of this belief, is that it's not even clients in more senior years who feel this way.
No, it's those in their late 20s, and early 30s. They internalised the message that they had to shoot out of uni into a perfect career, and be happy in it forever.
That's pressure, indeed.
Yet research finds that 42% of the over 45’s plan to change careers in the next two years.
So if you're in your 20s, 30s, or 40s and want to do something else and feel like it's just 'too late', I promise you its not.
MINDSET REFRAME: Think of your career as line from 20-70 years old. How far along are you? How many decades before retirement, do you have left? If we think of careers as being in 3-5 year sprints, you could reasonably expect to have multiple opportunities for new ventures before you hang up your hat. It's not too late.
Believing that you have to do it all in one go
No-body climbs Everest in one big leap, why should your career change be any different?
Not only should you give yourself time to explore new options and try them on and see how they fit, but you should treat yourself with grace and compassion as you do. No-one is timing you, and it's not a race.
What is dangerous, and misguided, is to believe that career change will take place in a single bolt of lightening, and then everything will be perfect. It will be a moment of divine intervention, and then poof, here is your 'dream job'.
Career changes are about experimentation, and figuring things out. You will likely make missteps, and change course as you get more data and information about what specific roles are actually like in reality.
Some experiments might include some volunteering in a new line of work, or taking a course, or attending online classes. The goal of all of this is to be 'delightfully mistaken' about what you assumed different careers would be like, and adjust as you go, until you have enough confidence in something that you're ready to proceed.
Even when you are ready, you don't have to move straight into this role. Many of my clients end up taking a Bridge Role, to ease the journey of their career change. This takes the edge off the urgency, and paves a more realistic and enjoyable path towards your next step.
MINDSET REFRAME: There's no time limit on this, and it should be taken as a series of experiments, not one giant leap. After all, it's far more sensible to take your time, and explore new ventures thoroughly before committing, than it is to rush into something new within a couple of months, and then regret it later.
Looking for more help?
I hope this has helped to reframe some of the largest mindset saboteurs I see people struggling with. If you're looking for more support, why not book a call to explore 1:1 coaching?
If you're not in the market for coaching right now, I've got you. Grab my Career Clarity Toolkit (use CLARITY20 for 20% off) for step by step guidance on figuring out what's not working in your current career, what it is that you're actually looking for, and how to navigate the change.
Always on your side,
CEO and Founder, Clarity Coaching with Louise
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