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EPISODE #18
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There are always going to be those hellish days when everything goes wrong or you just don’t have your mojo with you. It goes with the territory, some days or weeks will be challenging in your working life.
You can’t expect that it will always go your way and you will have frustrations and times when you feel like you should be doing something else. But most of the time those times pass and you feel happier in your work again.
But how do you know if what you are feeling is just a passion phase or a sign that you have to make a change now to be true to yourself?
There are three questions you need to ask yourself before lighting the touchpaper and sparking your blaze in a new direction.
1. Do you still feel passionate about your work (if you ever did)?
I’m all about having a passion for what you do, my podcast is built on the concept passion comes first and fuels your working life. If you have lost your passion or (even worse) never had it in the first place, this is a sure sign you need to make some kind of change at the very least, and ideally make a leap to something that you are wholeheartedly passionate about!
If you originally were really passionate about what you do, you can sometimes bring it back by changing company or industry, or by making a change in focus or how and where you work.
But, if you try that and it doesn’t work, then you may have to accept that the flame has extinguished forever and you need to find a new burning passion.
Not having a passion for your work can lead to you becoming bored, unfulfilled and frustrated.
So what can you do? It’s important to look at your situation from all angles and make absolutely sure that there is no rescuing your passion for your current career. Can it ever give you what you are craving?
If, after you have considered whether you can ever feel the passion, drive and enjoyment in your current career again, you realise that there is no hope. Then there is no point staying in a zombie career!
2. Do you feel called or drawn towards another path?
People who successfully change careers have to have something that is pulling them away from their current path. It can’t be just about the things you dislike or frustrate you about your job, that maybe some smaller changes can help. That in itself will not be strong enough to sustain you as you make a change. A true career leaper has a calling. That calling will be the real game-changer.
You feel drawn to do something new, even if you're not sure what that ‘something new’ is yet. It is your intuition, a gut feeling that you are not on the right path and you are meant to do more with your life. You look around and see your colleagues contentedly following their path and can’t understand why you feel different. Why is it not enough for you? You want more!
Maybe you know what that something more is already and it’s been tapping on your shoulder for quite a while, waiting for you to take notice. Perhaps you have put it off because you think it's not feasible, or won’t give you the income you need or you are afraid of what people will think.
If you feel that calling, it is not something you can just ignore. It’s not going to go away just because you ignore it. It will always be there and could become a source of huge regret if you don’t at least give it a chance to become something. After all, you have a career you know works and you can fall back on, so surely it is worth the risk to at least try and turn your passion project into a new career or business for yourself.
Even if you don’t know what it is you are being drawn to, you owe it to yourself to discover what it is you want to do next. Maybe you want to work outdoors, you want more freedom of time or where you can work, or maybe you want to explore your creative side more. Perhaps you want more meaning in your work, and want to work for a worthy cause or you have always wondered what it would be like to be your own boss.
So recognise the pull you feel inside and focus on really defining what it is drawing you to.
- What are my body and mind telling me?
Working in something you are not passionate about or that feels like the wrong path can manifest itself physically and mentally and if you look the signs are clear.
Let’s see if any of this resonates with you....
- Those hellish days I mentioned earlier seem to be happening more and more often and even the good days are just a bit blah, same old, same old...
- You’re tired all the time and lack energy and motivation
- You don’t have enthusiasm for parts of your job that used to get excited about
- You feel like you are wasting your time and your life but can’t see a way out
- You have a craving for more fulfilment and meaning in your job than you currently have
- You really don’t want to get up in the morning as work does not engage or excite you anymore.
- When someone asks you about your job, you can’t help but moan about it or sometimes change the subject because you don’t want to think about it
- When a friend or colleague announces they are leaving to go to a job of their dreams you’re envious. Or you wish that you were able to do the same but can’t for a list of reasons (or excuses ) you have of why it's impossible for you.
- You feel frustrated and stuck because you have responsibilities and commitments and you really can’t see how you can ever do what you REALLY want for many years.
Does any of this feel or sound familiar?
These 3 questions are so important to ask yourself and to be honest with your answers.
I know this decision may not be easy, you may have lots of obstacles in the way, but if you know you are not on the right path and you are being drawn or called in another direction you have to listen to your intuition, watch and acknowledge the signs.
If you NEED to make a career change, don’t ignore it. You could end up ‘sleep walking’ your way through the next 10 or 20 years, going through the motions and ticking the box of all you should do in your career, but never knowing the fulfilment and joy of loving and being passionate about what you do every day and the effect that can have on your life and that of those around you. Is that what life is really about? Life is for living now, and we owe it to those who don’t have the chance to live for long to do it well.
Steve Jobs famously asked himself one fundamental question in the mirror every morning: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? If the answer is no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Imagine yourself waking up every morning not wanting to do your job and feel that way for months or years.
So, I challenge you now to ask yourself this question every day for a month. If you find that on most days it’s a no, then you owe it to yourself and those around you to make that the last month that you stay in a job without also planning your escape route.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS...
If you are no longer passionate about your career, you feel called to something else and your body and mind are telling you they're not happy, you know that you NEED to change.
The first step is to choose a new career path or business idea you are passionate about and start planning and working towards making it happen.
By doing that you will immediately feel and be more in control and energised, as you are no longer FOLLOWING a career path, you are the one POWERING your passion into your new working life and future!
Make every moment count in your life, don't let yourself drift into a zombie career when you need to begin sharing your talents with the world in a different way.
Remember, you deserve to live your passion, so go for it, this is your time!
I’d love to hear your feedback on the episodes so far or to know what other topics you would like me to include, leave me a comment below, or on:
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Steve Jobs quote:
