Should You Make a Big Career or Life Change During Moments of Uncertainty?
When recessions hit and times get tough, most people say:
Stay put in that job (no matter how much you hate it).
Don't rock the boat, especially now.
Hunker down and weather it out.
I disagree. First of all, I hate the thought of anyone continuing to endure a job or other situation that's making them miserable.
Second, hard times have a way of crystallizing what’s most important to us, what we most want to change, and who we want to become to feel more whole.
You’re probably considering a big change in life or work right now because the pandemic has brought these messages close to home:
That life is short.
That the old way wasn’t working, and you want to find a new way.
So yes, the change that you’re considering is really important. Let’s talk about how you might get started right now.
The first thing to acknowledge is that yes, there are a lot of unknowns right now. There are risks to making a big change right now.
There are also a lot of possibilities, and you can absolutely do it if you keep working at it step by step, and adjusting and adapting as you go on.
I’m a practical idealist. Which means that as a coach, I’m want to support you to both:
Dream your big wonderful dreams – and also figure out, in this current reality, what practical steps will get you there.
Ready?
Here’s the first, most important step:
Get clear on what you really want from your change
If this world is in crisis, and you want to find the opportunity in it, first you have to be clear about what opportunity looks like to you.
That's why you've got to tap into your dreams first.
What do you want most out of life and work?
When you look back on your life, what's going to have made it truly meaningful to you?
Most people have not gone deeply enough into answering this question for themselves.
You might be clear on what you don't like about your life right now. Yet how clear are you on what you actually DO want?
You can't really start to make meaningful progress on your ideal life until you know exactly what it is.
This includes all parts of that ideal life, such as your health, finances, home, romantic relationships, family, friends, community, spirituality, recreation, work, social causes/activism, etc.
As you navigate a rapidly changing world, your vision of your ideal future is your North Star, ensuring you stay on track for where you want to go.
By the way, a vision is not a static thing. It can definitely change over time. That's why you need to check in with your dreams frequently.
Give your dreams space to develop or change.
Talk about them with others to bring them into the world and make them more real.
One last thing: A lot of times people feel like they can't let themselves fully say what they want because they worry that it's selfish — especially when times are tough, like right now.
You might feel like what’s best right now is to keep your desires to yourself and focus on others instead.
But if you're not happy with your current situation, and you don't attend to your inner work, you stay stuck and miserable. Your situation erodes your effectiveness and energy.
What does that really do for anybody?
You investing in a life and work that lights you up is a step toward making our world a better place.
Because when you feel happier, more empowered and free, you're more effective, influential, and better equipped to help build a better world.
There's going to be a ripple effect for people around you.
You showing up stronger helps others to see how they can show up stronger too.
TRY THIS: Make a Visual of Your Ideal Life
Get your ideas down on paper with a mindmap.
Pull out a big sheet of paper and a marker. (Or try a mind map app online. I like Coggle and Scapple, which have a free version or trial, respectively.)
In the middle of the page, write “My ideal life” and draw a circle around it. This is your central node. Everything else will branch off this.
What are all the most important areas of your ideal life? Jot all your answers down and connect them to the central node. Possible areas are:
Lifestyle
Work / Career
Community
Health
Recreation
Spirituality
Creativity
Money / Wealth
Relationships
Partner
Home
Family
Impact / Activism
Next, write down all the possibilities and associations you make with each of those nodes.
Keep going so your visual of your ideal life keeps growing and growing.
Here are some additional questions to guide you.
If there were no limitations, what would you do?
What would your ideal life definitely include?
What would these things satisfy in you?
What are all the opportunities in front of you now?
How could you expand your perception of these possibilities even further? (Tip: Look for examples around you. Get the advice of people who know you well, or who are doing things you want to do.)
Once you’ve done this exercise, you’ll have a lot more clarity about where you want to go — and that’s the first step to getting there.
I know change can be scary, especially right now, amid so many unknowns.
But this is also really exciting. Because it’s about you showing up in the world how you really want to be. That’s really powerful, and what this life should be all about.
Ready to keep going with how to get more clarity on what career changes might be the best for you? Grab my free Career Clarity Lab masterclass.
