Like most people, you may have no idea what you want to do next in your career. You want to make a change, but it feels like such a huge undertaking that you’re stuck worrying about it instead of focusing on the next single thing you could do to move forward. Here’s what you can do to set yourself up for a successful career change.
Want a Career Change? Plan for the future and stop avoiding the present.
Planning ahead is an excellent idea, and preparing for the worst is a smart move. And yet, plans can fall apart, and the worst thing you planned for is unlikely to happen.
Challenges may come up that you could have never anticipated. However, unless they’re causing you a significant problem right now, they don’t deserve to be taking up so much of your attention.
Why would you spend your time worrying about a problem you haven’t got to yet?
Could it be because worrying about the far-off future is a convenient distraction from the somewhat uncomfortable here and now?
The questions that are always worthy of your time and effort
What’s the smallest thing I can do right now to make the most significant positive impact on my situation?
Please write it down, stick it on your mirror or fridge, and set it as your phone background. Keep it top of mind daily. It will help you decide what the next step in your career change is.
What’s the one thing that could be addressed right now and would allow you to move forward most excitingly or powerfully? What do you need to do to address it?
What’s the smallest thing you could do in the next hour, day, or week that would have the most significant practical impact on your shift?
Set intentional step-by-step actions to achieve your desired outcome. Doing this will help you deal with reality as it is now, rather than worrying about the ‘what if.’
This article was originally published in June 2020 and was recently updated.
