Tag Archive for: Change

Is your career coming to an end? Why it is just a transition and you shouldn’t be scared

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Alexandra Humbel standing in front of a painting by Franck Stella at NSU in Fort Lauderdale, FloridaAlexandra Humbel Coaching

Do you experience a fear of loss, when you realise that your days are numbered in your current job, position, and career? Is this sense of loss mingled with anticipation and excitement? Lots of bonuses will soon be yours: No more back-to-back meetings, no more answering emails on vacation, no more power games, luxury to dispose of your time as you wish.

So why is the joy tainted with anxiety? Why are you struggling with the feeling that you are now entering a grey zone? Why are you feeling defined by the fact that this is the last segment of your life?

Several factors are in play, mostly pushing you in antagonist directions, so no wonder that the result is uncomfortable, if not painful. Let’s try to untangle the inner conflict that undermines your energy and obscures your future.

There is no script. You are on your own

As a professional and a person, you’ve been motivated. Always. Through thick and thin, you knew where you wanted to be: Grow, climb the ladder, get a better job, launch a new company, or a new project, succeed, fail, rebound, and mainly stay in the game.

While you owe all these achievements to yourself, there is a blueprint for this. From student to junior to high potential to senior professional, the direction is clear and unmistakable. It is a growth pattern, and growing is an attribute of life. Every day you are exposed to stories that inspire you and show you what is possible. In your magnificent way, you realised your potential despite – and sometimes thanks to- the hurdles and backlashes thrown at you.

When your career comes to an end, there is no script. Not anymore. Language like “Golden years” (coined in the seventies to sell real estate to retirees) or “Silver power” (marketing term for a growing consumer segment) sounds phoney. Besides, what does it have to do with you?

It has a lot to do with expectations

For decades, you were supposed to work your ass off and grow. You were encouraged to do so. The work culture had your back.
At the end of your career, no one expects you to deliver. You may get lost in a space deprived of reference points. You are like a wagon decoupled from the train. The train goes without you. It is a relief, and it feels like an injustice at the same time.

People around you tell you repeatedly how lucky you will be, getting ample time for golfing, travelling, gardening, painting, yoga-ing, biking, learning languages, enjoying family time, and doing the things you love. The more they praise your soon-to-be happiness, the more confused you feel. Not that there is anything wrong with these activities. The confusion comes from the lack of purpose.

It is time to get real, brave, and creative

How do you build a house without a blueprint? You don’t. You’ve got to create a blueprint for yourself. Honestly assess your beliefs about who you are, your place in your world, and your values. You want to let go of a persona that beautifully served you in the past but is no longer who you want to be. Explore what makes you feel alive and driven. Be curious and open. Once you get this clarity, it is time to draw your blueprint and jump into action. It is scary. And it is so exciting. The difference is, this time, you are the architect, the builder, and the proud owner of a beautiful, unique work in progress.

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Career Transitioning: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Earlier (Part 2)

This is Part II of my previous article about what I have learned, having experienced three career transitions and helped numerous professionals play a successful second act of life. I hope you enjoy the read. 

6. The only approval you need is yours

Beautifully expressed by Amanda Gorman, the need for approval is one of the most common hurdles that may stop you in your momentum. The minute you share bold, ambitious dreams for yourself, you will see a number of red flags raised around you. Well-intentioned, loving people in your life will instantly reject the idea that you may get lost in ambitious and risky projects. They want you safe, and the status quo is largely safer than… anything else. Red flags will come from all directions. Colleagues, friends, and family members may sense an unavowable pang of jealousy at your renewed aliveness. Don’t take it personally, don’t be impressed. 

7. Big dreams don’t make you a dreamer

The biggest red flag, though, is in yourself. It is cultural. People with dreams are dreamers. Dreamers are no achievers. This idea was drilled in your subconscious at an early stage, and you will find it, sure enough, on your way to a new career. Don’t buy the simplification. Rather engage in honest exploration: What is really important to you? What does your future, the one you crave, look like, taste like? What is your own definition of success, from now on? Does it encompass every aspect of your life? Does it bring value to you and the people around you? What would be the markers of your future success? The more aware you are of what you really want and why, the most enticing your vision is, the better. As the genius dream architect Walt Disney said: “If you can dream it, you can do it”.

8. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity

How many times this week did you hear yourself say “She is so lucky, to get this job” or, about yourself “I was lucky to meet this person”. By default, we tend to attribute good things happening unexpectedly to luck, whatever this word means. Abundant scientific literature shows that lucky people have their own way to attract luck, in doing two things: They put all the chances on their side, and they open their senses 360° to allow happy coincidence to happen. If you want to share a fantastic business idea with a very searched after person, you may want to make sure this idea has value for the person, refine and rehearse your pitch until it is irresistible, get all the intel you can about where this person may be hanging out, and keep in mind that if your idea is truly great, it will find its way to the real world. With or without this person. 

9. It is so cool to go back to school

A current cause of stress for career transitioners is the necessity to get extra training. Will you be able to learn as fast as you used to? Is your brain capable of memorizing new knowledge? How awkward will it feel to sit on a school bench at your age? What will your ex-colleagues think? How will you cope with homework, supervision, and exams?  Most likely, all of these fears will materialize. Yes, you will feel intellectually rusted. Yes, you will have to deploy your best efforts to catch up. Yes, it will feel awkward sometimes. Yes, some well-intentioned peer will ask what the hell do you expect, getting back to school at your age. And yes, homework sucks. But the reward is invaluable. Your decision to be a student again is a gift you offer to yourself and an investment in your future. The process is fun too. Learning has its own way to pump up your spirit and upgrade your self-image. 

10. You will never look back

Maybe the most important thing I which I had known is that there is no way back. More accurately, there is no desire to go back to square one. You are a creature of movement, like all living creatures in this world. The journey towards a fulfilling second act of life is bumpy and interesting. We talked about the inner reward of learning, and learning comes in many different ways. Questioning the status quo makes you more alive. Taking bold moves towards work and life that you love triggers renewed energy. And keep in mind that you might well become a source of inspiration for other people’s own journey into transition.

If you missed part 1 of this article, you can read it here.

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Career Transitioning: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Earlier (Part 1)

Career Transitioning - Things I wish I'd known earlier - by Alexandra HumbelAlexandra Humbel

My mentor suggested that I write a post about the things I wish I had known earlier about career transition. I liked the idea and, based on my personal journey as well as my experience as a coach, I started with a half dozen points aimed at helping professionals get on the fast lane. I ended up with twice as many points, and the kind of long article I, myself, have a hard time digesting. Hence the decision to stick to 10 essential points, dispatched in 2 posts. This is Part I, I hope you enjoy the read. Part II is available here.

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Earlier About Career Transitioning.

1. You are not alone

Studies show that an increasing number of experienced professionals are undertaking a career change, and even more are considering it. Three-fifths of UK workers (60%) intend to make changes to their careers as a result of the Covid outbreak, an increase of seven percentage points since July 2020 (53%).*

So why does it feel weird and lonely? It is because nothing prepared you to handle one or several career changes in your life. Society tends to assign you a role, tied to a life cycle: In your junior years, you prove your competence. As you are getting experienced, you excel in your field. And then, what? You retire. While there is nothing wrong with linear career paths, it does not work for everyone. Probably not for you, if you are reading these lines. 

2. Your skills are transferable – All of them

My clients who crave a new career are taken aback by the thought that their expertise might be lost when they change jobs. It is natural to take pride in those skills you have mastered over time. The good news is, you take everything with you on the journey.  Those skills will manifest in creative ways, coming in handy to serve your goals while you are expanding in your new project. Interestingly, ancient or dormant skills will show up and prove valuable to handle new situations. Your brain creates new circuits while tapping into resources you did not remember you had. And this is particularly refreshing. 

 

3. It is OK to be lost in transition

Describing career transitions as uncomfortable is an understatement. More accurately: Everything which made you feel grounded in social status is gone. Welcome to unchartered territories, where nobody is waiting for you with your name on a sign. No driver, no limousine. It requires courage to leave the familiar in order to become a new version of yourself. Uncomfortable, scared, and excited all together, highs and lows are in order. But, as Maya Angelou said: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” The butterfly is you.

4. Money and time are no excuses

“I will do a job I really love when I have enough time, or money” (or both). 

Does that sound familiar? Of course, these two factors are critical components of a decision, and critical metrics to monitor all along the way. Controlling your time and financial resources through a career transition will be essential to succeed. Be aware that the conservative, risk-averse part of you will always show up with these massive excuses that are the lack of (or the fear of lack of) time and or money. Or both. It is your call to let these fears be the master of you.

5. Nature is in constant change and so are you

“Nothing is absolute, everything changes, everything moves, everything evolves, everything flies and goes away”.

These lines written by the fascinating artist Frida Kahlo can be interpreted as words of regret and melancholy. Or, from another perspective, as the constant evolution of all things that allow rebirth, re-invention, possibilities, relief, reboot, rejuvenation, and creation. When looking back at your career, you may take pride in what you have achieved, and, simultaneously, realize that this pattern is no longer fulfilling you. You can cherish your past achievements and look forward to what you are going to do next. This is not a lack of consistency in your choices. It is about the inherent nature of all of us, to thrive in movement or shrink in stagnation.

 

Continue reading part 2 of this post

 

*Aviva “How do we live” Report, 2021

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