What if Now is Not the Time

Many of my prior posts have been written to help those who are attempting to navigate a career change. What about those of you who would like to change your career, but you know now is not the time?

How do you navigate a career that you’re unhappy with and maintain your peace of mind on a daily basis?

While I’m currently involved in a career I love and I believe to be my life purpose, it took me nearly two years from knowing I wanted to leave corporate, to the point that I actually left and began doing what I love.

Some of the challenges I faced were going to a job I knew I no longer enjoyed; and how to get through the day in the proper frame of mind. I realized there were some aspects of my job that I completely loved. I loved solving problems. I enjoyed helping my employees become adept at expanding their career and finding the right career path.

I also kept the idea of my future career in the forefront of my mind. As I made incremental steps towards what I wanted to do, I made a mental note of every accomplishment of forward movement. In addition, I made a list of goals I needed to complete to move forward.
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If you’re in a career that you absolutely abhor and you know you need to be doing something different, here are some steps to follow:

1) Change your focus. Keep a mental image of what it is you ultimately want to do.

2) Find portions of your current job that you enjoy. Take advantage of opportunities that arise to involve yourself in those aspects.

3) Make time to visualize your future. Create a vision board that shows every aspect of the life you want. If you can create it in your mind than it is attainable.

4) Take steps toward your ultimate career. It may mean taking a class, volunteering or something as simple as an internet search of career requirements needed to transistion.

5) Realize that what you’re doing now is only temporary. Once you get clear on what is achievable, keep track of what you accomplish as you move forward. This allows you to see your advancement.

6) And finally, wherever you are, enjoy the moment. Life is too short to be unhappy. Remember to be grateful for all that you have.

So what is the one step you’ll take today to change the focus from where you are to where you want to be?