Career Dilemmas: Is it Time to Pause and Hit Re-set?

Career paths in the current employment landscape are rarely linear. People are living longer than they have historically and can make multiple career transitions to enjoy new challenges throughout their lives. Some careers are becoming outdated and people need to be agile to survive and thrive in this world. Do you have the gnawing feeling that you have just settled for a career that is unfulfilling or that you have out grown your current profession?  If that is the case, there is nothing stopping you from changing direction in life. You have one life to live, so live it fully. Schedule some time for self-reflection or book an appointment with a Coach that can help you with this process.

If you truly want this year to become one of the most successful years of your life, it is time to press pause and engage in some introspection. Aristotle, the famous philosopher, said “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Is your life really going in the direction you want it to? Is your life aligned with your deepest values? Do you feel fulfilled in your personal and professional life? Take this opportunity to give yourself a fresh start, set aside some time to reflect, and do a 360 audit of your life.

Conduct a self-assessment. By engaging in honest self-assessment and pausing to become really in tune with what you want from life is crucial. The process involves inner reorientation and perhaps even a redefinition of self. Identify your likes and dislikes, understand your personality and delineate your values and motivation.

Personality tests can help to match your personality traits to potential careers. One of the most popular personality types is the Myer-Briggs Type indicator, which is based on Carl Jung’s and Isabel Brigg Myers’ typological approach to personality. Type theory suggests that human behaviour is predictable and classifiable. Completing a personality test can help you identify your underlying preferences.

Your values are highly personal and provide the inner compass that guide your decision-making. Value based assessments are also key to help people understand themselves and their unconscious behaviour. By aligning your values to your career path, you will find your work more personally meaningful and fulfilling.

Human beings are led by their values and beliefs whether they are conscious of them, or not. Understanding the core beliefs, you hold and questioning any assumptions you may have, can help you to understand what drives you, and how you perceive the world. There may be limiting beliefs that are holding you back. There may also be a conflict in the values you believe in and the way you are living your life. This could be the source of discontent in your life that you could never quite put your finger on before. Fulfilment and joy in life come when we are acting in alignment with our values, and when our beliefs are working for us, rather than against us.

Playing to your strengths

People have innate strengths and talents. Historically, the emphasis in school was placed on managing weaknesses. The A grade on a chemistry test was lauded by parents but it was D on algebra that really got their full attention. However, the conversation has shifted with pioneers like Marcus Buckingham, a bestselling author and motivational speaker extolling the virtues of playing to innate strengths and placing less emphasis on weaknesses. There are many psychometric tests available to help you identify your strengths. By shifting into this perspective, you can uncover your unique personal identity and break free from others’ expectations of who you should be. Many people who find themselves stuck and spinning their wheels in their careers later in life are probably living someone else’s dream for their lives.

Be Authentic. Living an authentic life leads to the right kind of success. We all have our own definitions of success. Sometimes the successful image we project on the outside, masks the unhappiness within ourselves. There are some seemingly successful people who are miserable and waiting to retire in order to finally be happy.

When you embrace authenticity, you will become more valuable. There may be strengths and capabilities that you have that are lying just under the surface that you need to excavate. You may have overlooked other possibilities for yourself. Bringing out your true nature, using your natural talents, and operating from a deep sense of purpose will be game-changing. The energy and enthusiasm you bring to your workplace will be very different when you are doing what you are passionate about. You will invigorate everyone around you. Passion and positivity are contagious. When you are working in a ‘flow state’ you will make your best contributions.

Test drive your new career. Once you have found your passion, research possible careers that are aligned with your passion and purpose in life and then conduct research to determine the best choice for yourself. Avoid leaping before you look. Conduct informational interviews, volunteer, read industry trade journals or secure an internship or part-time work which will allow you to apprentice with an established professional in your new chosen field. Internships are not the sole province of college students. Seeking out mentors or considering lateral moves in your company in your area of interest that allow you to shadow others will be very helpful.

You can also choose to be stagnant and stunt your growth. However, if you never try to develop your potential, there will be a time in the future when you will be forced to ponder what might have been. Les Brown said, “the graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”

Article by Shailja Sharma, SBS Faculty Member and Leadership and Career Coach