I was working with one of my evening coaching groups recently, and two of the women mentioned that they felt overwhelmed by the process of clarifying their career direction. They were progressing through their homework, but beyond that, felt like “How do I really know what I want to do? And am I really going to figure this out; it seems like such a daunting task?” I explained to them that this is a normal feeling. I hear this from clients frequently and completely understand where they’re coming from.
I felt this way once too. It took me several years and a lot of work to realize my dream. At the beginning of my career transition I truly doubted whether I could enjoy my job and whether I would ever find something that fulfilled me. We see so many people unhappy in their jobs that it can be hard to believe it doesn’t have to be that way. The key that I shared with those two clients is to break the process down into steps.
Take it step by step, and realize you’ll figure things out along the way.
Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew! Each week you need to make your steps and goals realistic, and break those goals down into smaller steps whenever you need to. I’m reminded of the movie Finding Nemo. One of the fish, with the voice of Ellen Degeneres, says to Marvin (Nemo’s dad), who’s trying to find his son in the vast ocean, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming”.
Be persistent to reach your career goals!
Hallie Crawford
Career Transition Coach
