Relight my fire

A friend of mine is having a bit of a crisis, a career crisis.

She’s been working in marketing ever since she left college and now she’s facing redundancy. The world that she’s known for the past 15 years is being taken away and replaced with the great unknown. There are now so many options open to her, she doesn’t know which way to turn. Should she change her career, spend some time volunteering or go travelling? Answers on a postcard please.

Personally I think my friend is in an enviable position. She has been given the opportunity to start again. If she wasn’t being made redundant, she would have stayed in that job for a good few more years, occasionally thinking about how her life would have turned out if she had made a different career choice earlier on. Now she’s been given a gentle nudge and the chance to make the daydream a reality.

How many times do you dream about changing your job? A recent survey found that nearly three quarters of the UK are happy with their job, but given the chance more than half would change their career. Don’t dawdle on stepping into action. Start creating your ideal job right now.

If you are lucky enough to know what you want to do, ask yourself what’s stopping you from making that change. No one is suggesting that you hand in your notice tomorrow and tell the boss where to go but it is possible to make the steps towards your dream career without too much upheaval.

What did you want to be when you grow up?
Think back to when you were younger - what have you always wanted to do? What subjects did you really enjoy at school? What hobbies have you really enjoyed? What are your strengths? Do you have any friends who have a job that you would love to do?You can also look at your personality traits, beliefs and values. Do you enjoy helping people or caring for animals? Are you shy or outgoing? Is money a priority or is it more important to have job satisfaction. There’s no point considering a job that involves a lot of socialising if you enjoy spending time on your own.If money was no object, what would you do to fill your time?

Start by talking to people who are working in fields that interest you. They could prove to be invaluable at providing insider knowledge about your new career. Find out about the negatives and the positives of the job, how best to get started and if any qualifications are needed.

Volunteer for some un-paid work experience or see if you can get involved during evenings and weekends? It’s the best way at getting your foot in the door and learning about the job first hand. Encourage yourself to make contacts and start networking. They always say it’s not what you know but who you know.

Once you have decided to make the move towards your perfect career, you need to stay motivated and keep setting goals. I always talk about motivation and goal setting as they are essential in life coaching and are the building blocks of self improvement. Any goals that you set must be:

S - specific
M - measurable/motivational
A - achievable
R - realistic/relevant
T – timescale

The process of setting goals and targets allows you to choose where you want to go in life. By achieving your chosen goals you will gain the confidence to continue to set and achieve new goals.

Most of us don’t like being out of our comfort zone and changing jobs can certainly seem like a giant leap towards the unknown. Before you take those first steps I think the question that you have to ask yourself is, do you work to live or live to work?