It’s ok to change your mind
Think back ten years ago. What were you wearing? What music were you listening to? What were your favourite foods?
Chances are, your tastes have changed at least a little bit since then. And it would be a bit surprising if that weren’t the case: the wonderful thing about gaining experience as we age is that we take on new perspectives and gain a new appreciation for certain things in life. Otherwise, life would get pretty boring.
The same thing holds true for our careers. What we wanted in a career ten years ago isn’t necessarily what we want today, or will want in ten years time. The good news is that, just as we grow and change, our jobs usually do, too. The less good news is that our jobs don’t always grow and change in exactly the way we need them to. That can leave us feeling lost, or like we made the “wrong” choice somewhere along the line.
But if it’s perfectly ok and perfectly healthy to say that your penchant for pinot noir has evolved into cabernet franc over the past ten years, then why do we expect that our career aspirations will remain relatively constant from age 21 onwards? In the same token, why do so many of us assume that staying with the same employer or in the same industry for years on end is the best possible option when, if all goes well, we are growing and changing all along?
Many of my clients have given some version of the following reasons for continuing to go through the motions in their current role even if they are feeling stagnant:
This is the dream job I landed ten years ago; I would be a fool to give it up!
I’ll be moving backwards if I don’t stay on the same path.
Taking a different direction would be an admission of failure.
This is the only way I have ever known, so the easiest path forward must be to continue as I am doing.
All of these are more or less a version of the same thing: “I made this choice, and I have got to stick to it.” When we dig a little deeper, it often comes out that we are afraid to examine whether or not we are satisfied, for fear that we will not only realise that we aren’t, but that we can’t do anything about it.
The good news is that finding career satisfaction is usually more about making small tweaks than taking a huge leap of faith into a wholly new career. Sitting down and taking an honest look at what you want today — not what you wanted ten years ago — is the first step to retaking control over your career and regaining satisfaction.
It’s also an honest admission of something we all know to be true: we all grow and change as we get older. It’s important to celebrate this fact, rather than wasting energy pretending it isn’t true and trying to be someone that we aren’t at work. Life is too short, and we spend too many of our waking hours at the office. The sooner you gather up the courage to reexamine your current priorities, the faster you can get back on track to a fulfilling career.
Take back control of your career.
Are you currently reflecting on how to get the most out of your job — instead of letting it get the most out of you?