Note: this piece first appeared in the June 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.
I’m so pleased this month to introduce you to Annemarie Segaric, the author of the following feature article. Annemarie is a career coach and speaker who specializes in working with individuals who are miserable in their jobs and who are ready to make a significant career change. Read on for her inside information about successful job changes!
5 Key Steps for Career Changes
by Annemarie Segaric, career coach
Studies show that more than 50 percent of people are unhappy in their jobs, yet few will actually make a career change this year or any year for that matter. Why? Most people let fear stop them — but successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!
Follow the five key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change.
1. Plug the Leaks
While you may be focused on the fact that this is a career transition, you are made up of more than just your job. Identify and commit to eliminating those things — big and small — that are draining you of energy. Deal with them now in order to have the energy you’ll need to make your career change.
2. Know What You Want and Make the Decision to Have It
We spend a great deal of time focusing on what we don’t like about our jobs and often let transitions happen to us. Being passive about a career transition makes for a painful passage. Stop and identify what you would like instead. Be proactive and make the decision, internally, that this is what you want and that you will not let anything stop you.
3. Believe In What You Want
Belief corresponds to how you feel about what you want. Examine what you are telling yourself about your desire for a new job. Make a decision to change your belief so that your career change is not a matter of “if” or “how” but only “when.”
4. Make a Transition, Not a Leap
Keep your day job and try out your calling on the side. Not being able to pay the bills is a stress you can choose to not put yourself through. Go through a process of repeated planning and testing, planning and testing. See what you learn and decide what your next steps should be. Remember, it’s a transition. Slow and steady will get you to the finish line. Think marathon, not sprint.
5. Live As If
Your future career is created by being in the present and showing up each day as if what you want has already come to pass. Ask yourself, “If I were already working in my dream job, how would I act today?” Then make the shift and go act as if you’ve already made it!
What step are you willing to take this week? Maybe it’s tossing all those magazines that have piled up that you keep telling yourself you will catch up on (but know you won’t!) and eliminating the stress of seeing them everyday. Or maybe it’s time to sign up for that course you’ve been interested in taking. And for some of you it might be time to learn more about yourself and your true desires so you know what work you’d love doing… and, oh yeah, that would pay the bills and then some!
Annemarie Segaric is a life and career change coach and the author of the booklet 107 Tips for Changing Your Career While Still Paying the Bills available on her website www.segaric.com.