|
Change.
The very word can sometimes produce fear in many
people. Why? Because lurking behind the word change
is oftentimes the word unknown, and for most people
it's the fear of the unknown which makes them afraid
of change.
When it
comes to making career changes, the fear of the
unknown is what keeps people paralyzed, which also
keeps them stuck in unfulfilling jobs, hating to go
to work every day. At least it's known, right? And,
for most people, a crappy known beats an unknown any
day, even if that unknown will eventually make
someone happier.
If you're
reading this and you recognize yourself, it's time
to take the bull by the horns and start making some
changes. And, yes, that means facing the unknown.
When
deciding to change career direction, you can help
minimize the unknown by doing some of the following:
1. Realize How Many Times in the Past You've Faced
the Unknown Successfully
Well,
that sounds simple, doesn't it? And, it is. Just
take out a piece of paper and write down the many
times in the past you've made changes successfully.
What you'll soon see is that many of those times you
didn't really know what to expect, but you went
ahead and made changes anyway, often times achieving
results far better than you'd expected. This helps
drum it into your subconscious that you have faced
the unknown in the past and you can do it again.
2. Visualize a Successful Change
Again,
the point here is to get you used to the change,
turning it from an unknown to a known. You can
achieve this by sitting in a quiet place where you
won't be disturbed; close your eyes, take several
deep breaths, and allow yourself to get deeper and
deeper into relaxation. Some people like to count
backwards from 10 to 1, even imagining walking down
a staircase, taking a step down with each count
downward. Once you're in a more relaxed place,
imagine yourself achieving your career goal. If
you're going back to school, imagine taking the
classes, either sitting at your computer taking an
online course, or seated in a classroom. Imagine and
visualize how calm you are, how you're enjoying
learning new things. Imagine graduating. Then
imagine working in your new field. Really feel how
calm you are, how excited you are to have made the
change. Feel how the success would feel to you.
3. Prepare and Plan
Turn the
unknown into a known by planning and preparation.
Research the career change you would like to make.
If the career change is owning your own business,
research everything you can about running a
business. If you're going back to school, research
all you can about the different programs, the
success rate, what your job prospects will be after
you graduate or earn a certificate. Once you arm
yourself with knowledge, the future becomes less of
an unknown.
Again,
change doesn't have to be scary. But, staying in a
job you hate, or facing a downturn in your current
career without a plan? Now, that's scary.
Shari
Hearn is a writer and creator of Training for a
Different Career, where you can learn how to earn a
college degree online.
|
