What’s Stopping You From Making A Career Change?

Are you stuck in a career you hate? Been making excuses as to why you can’t change your situation, burying your unhappiness until the next time your job hatred gets too much again?

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone – I feel like everywhere I turn at the moment I’m confronted with people feeling like something is ‘not quite right’ in their lives, but they have no idea what to do about it. Either that, or there’s just not enough hours in the day to devote mind-share to help them get out of their career-funk.

So, on and on the cycle goes – first the unhappiness, then the jolt to action – but when the uncertainty creeps in about a decision or action, it’s all too easy to return to the status quo.

I used to think that when I discovered what I wanted to do everything would just fall into place and be easy – but I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t, and it isn’t. It’s bloody hard! And thinking this way doesn’t help, because you start to believe that these insecurities are actually real, and you start to confuse them with your instincts, which is never a good thing. The choices we make when we are really honest with ourselves are the ones we should be listening to, not the negative voice telling us that we will fail if we even give it a try.

I know how hard it is to even get to the point of making a new life for yourself, because I’m still in that process. The unfortunate thing about getting older and being an adult is responsibility – financial and otherwise – which can make change harder, but definitely not impossible. That’s why I urge anyone who is unhappy in their work to start now – the earlier the better. The older you get the harder it becomes to change, and the more time you have to come up with excuses as to why you shouldn’t. If you start now, yes there will be some tough times, but what are the consequences if you don’t? Living the rest of your life unhappy? Regret and guilt on your 90^th birthday when you look back and realise it’s too late?

Yes, it may be too late then, but it’s sure as hell not too late now. Brush yourself off, start thinking more positive and realise that these feelings of fear and ‘get me the hell out here’ are completely normal – and if you don’t feel them, then you aren’t doing it right! The feeling of knowing you have been true to yourself and made a new career will far outweigh any feelings of insecurity at the beginning. All you have to do is start living the life you’ve always wanted – simple as that. So when will you start living yours?