Getting off the starting blocks to make your career leap happen can be really difficult. Whatever change you want to make, you can lose days, weeks or months putting off actually taking the first step. Even if you are desperate to make that change, something just holds you back.
In this episode, I’m talking about what you need to do first to get started on your career change journey, and to keep the momentum going until you achieve your goals.
If you have been procrastinating over planning your career leap, or are ready to go but are not sure where to start, then this episode is for you.
So fire up your motivation, tap on play and get READY, SET, GO!
Links mentioned in this episode:
Marie Forleo's book’Everything is Figureoutable
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When you're starting on any new venture, the hardest thing is always getting started. The same goes for your career change project, or what I like to call, your Passion Project.
But, you do need to get started. You don’t need to be completely ready, everything will not be perfect, it also doesn’ t have to be a huge action or a massive change, it just needs to be something that tells you, and others, that you’re on your way!
So how do you make that start happen? Well you do what you do for any new project you will have experienced or managed in your job, you need to decide on the project start and end date.
In other words the first thing you need to do is choose your Passion Project Launch and Success dates. It really is as simple as that!
Set Your launch date
So let’s look at the launch date first. Your Passion Project launch Date is when you will start working towards your transition to your new career and life. It’s the date you decide to go ‘all out’ to make it happen. You’ll not start and then forget it, this is your commitment to yourself that you will put in the work every day to break through any obstacles and maintain motivation until you achieve success.
You know that from this day forward you are believing in yourself, investing in yourself and backing yourself. You are deciding on pursuing this path and reaching your potential, whatever it takes!
Why do you need to set a launch date? Well, it is ‘a line in the sand’ and something you can measure everything from. So if you have a 2 year plan you know exactly when the clock starts. But most importantly it’s a message to your brain that you have started. Just that feeling of getting started can have a motivating and energising effect on you. It also puts some gentle pressure on you that you now have to take it seriously.
So, when should your launch date be? Well, I always think if you feel called to something new, you should start immediately. In my experience, life’s too short to waste doing something that does not bring you meaning, fulfilment or happiness.
That said, I do know that through circumstances it is not always possible to make a change overnight. Even if you feel your passion project launch will need to wait for a while, the most important action is to get a date in you diary that is will happen.
You could decide that today is your launch date! You’re already listening to this podcast which tells me that you are ready or almost ready to start taking action, and taking that first step away from the life you have and towards your new future.
Alternatively, you may decide to delay if you need some time to process it all or have some other life dramas to deal with right now. I would say, don’t leave it more than a month from when you have listened to this podcast, or whatever confidence and determination you’re feeling now may fade and doubts will start to push that burning passion to the place at the back of your mind again.
Whether it is today, a week or a month from today I want you to decide on your Passion Project launch date now and write it down either on a calendar, or digital notes on your phone, whatever works.!
Now, let’s look at your Passion Project Success date
What is your Passion Project Success date? It is when you have completely made the change or leap in your career that you are dreaming of.
So when you have launched your side hustle or have started in a job in a new specialism. There will be more to do in that career path to reach your vision of success, but by your Passion Project Success date you should be working in the career or business you set out to move to .
Your success date shouldn’t be a vague date sometime in the distant future, in other words the ‘ONE DAY’ cover all. The most effective are those set within 6 months to two years of your launch date. If there is too much distance between your launch and success dates, it is more challenging to keep going and keep up the momentum.
When deciding on this date you need to consider what’s happening in your job and life now, other people and their needs, and how big a change you’re considering.
Now you may be thinking, but Nichola right now I don’t know how long it will take me. I don;t know how long it will take me to learn the new skills, or the practicalities and expense of setting up a business, they are all unknowns
- You take those unknowns into account when choosing the date, in other words give yourself more time to find out more
- You can change this date when you know more, it’s not set in stone
But if you don’t have a Success date in mind at the start, you naturally will take longer.
I talked in previous episodes about Parkinson’s law, which is about how you use all the time you are given . So if you are given two hours to do something you will use all that time, but if you are given a deadline of one hour, you will still get it done.
If you give yourself a date 6 months away, you are far more likely to take immediate action, then if you have no date in mind at all.
So set a date you can aim for and adjust it if after research you need more time.
Go ahead and commit to your Passion Project Success Date now and write it down.
When you have your launch and succes dates set for your Passion Project, you need to create reminders that you can see everyday! Be as creative (or not!) as you want, whatever works for you, but don’t forget what you have committed yourself to.
Finally, tell people about these dates as they will also help keep you accountable!
This is your Passion Project, and you are it's manager. Don't let the dates slip!
The Bottom line is...
You will never feel like you are fully ready, but getting started even if you haven’t got a full plan in place yet is key. The super successful American entrepreneur Marie Forleo in her book ‘Everything is Figureoutable’ advises to start going for it before you are ready. One of her mottos is ‘Starting small and sucky stops you feeling stucky’!
This really is so true, starting in whatever way you can, will stop you feeling stuck and frustrated and that start will gradually build Momentum that will power you forward.
So set your Passion Project Launch and Success dates asap and push off of those starting blocks! And let the race, whether it's a marathon or sprint to the finish, get going!
Join me in the next episode and remember, everyone deserves to live their passion, so get started this is your time!
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Join me in the next episode and remember, everyone deserves to live their passion, so get started this is your time!
