- I really want to make a change, but I’m afraid of what I’ll lose in the process.
- Although I know I need to move on to a better and more rewarding role and career, it’ll take me forever to establish myself in a new company.
- I’m older now and in an expertise that pays me well even though I’m just not happy on the inside every moment I get into the office.
- I’ve been a stay at home parent for the last 4 years, I have no idea where to start looking!
- My heart is telling me I should open up a restaurant but my whole life has been in technology.
- I’ve been an entrepreneur for years! How on Earth am I going to transition to corporate life?
Dealing with Transition
As a coach, what surprises me most is constantly discovering just how many of us go through at least one of the examples above and yet so few of us have the resources, time, and bandwidth to deal with such an important topic that contributes to so much of our emotional health.
Many of us spend enormous amounts of time and money on events that offer classes on different industry subjects, seminars on how to live a life of “freedom,” and yes even those national expos that somehow find their way into our local neighborhoods to talk to us about “secretly proven plans” on generating wealth through passive income.
The idea that we can break free from what pains us in our daily life manifests itself into numerous activities that we normally would not take part in had we not been aching for a long and overdue change.
I call many of these events “teasers” because they open up our imagination to what is possible if only for a few days or hours before our realities have settled back in.
Okay Ramy, it’s not like you’ve discovered a long lost Fabergé egg, give us something we can put to good use since so many of us are considering transition but don’t know how!
Sounds like a plan. I’ll start with a quote from Aristotle that I constantly quote in my coaching practice.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Aristotle
That’s right, you’ve got to open yourself up to the possibility, of well, possibilities even if you don’t end up accepting them.
In order to do so, I’m asking you to be open to entertaining what could be some of the most outlandish sounding activities and unconventional approaches that you never thought you would get yourself together to partake in.
I mean it.
After all, if you’re not willing to fight for what you deserve (professional happiness), who else is going to get into the ring and fight for you?
Nice pic Ramy. Neat quote too. Thank you – I took that picture myself in Moss Beach, CA. Now let’s get back to it.
Barriers to Entry?
You bet. Age, skillset, financial uncertainty, emotional state, having been laid off, disability, being out of the game for so long – the list is endless.
A cause for nervousness? Perhaps, but this is your career here, and certainly worth fighting for!
Now for the good stuff.
Think of transition as a project that has an objective (transition) and yet an unknown outcome. What do we do in such circumstances? Well, if you’ve been reading my work for the last 3 years, you’ll know immediately that I am huge proponent of process – irrespective and yet especially when the outcome is unknown.
“Ready am I to go, and my eagerness with sails full set awaits the wind.”
Kahlil Gibran
Below is the actual process I coach.
Step 1: Explore: A no brainer I know but the way you explore is what’s important here. A deep dive into your passions and personality is needed and that requires an exercise called “removing the layers.” If that sounds sexy, well, great, but it’s really a process I coach on that removes all the “funk” and “fluff” that has blocked out how we translate our inner voice. You know, when you feel things aren’t going right but you’re not sure why or for what reason.
Step 2: Express: This is the part you lose your ego and begin speaking to who I call the “Fabulous Five” of your life. The opinion of the general population is certainly not as important as your own, but expressing your desire for transition in a certain role from those closest to you may give you some insight you haven’t considered before. We’re looking for constructive feedback not criticism here, remember these people need to be fabulous – that’s why we labeled them that!
Step 3: Engage: Love to network? I sure hope so. If not, start nourishing your network now before needing it. Seriously. There is nothing more challenging than reaching out to people 10 years later for something when you didn’t take the chance to wish them a happy work anniversary or a happy birthday. I know some of you are biting your knuckles thinking about that. Your network is critical. Engaging your network means a world of opportunities to talk about your idea for transition with other industry professionals who may help you. Think introductions, think shadowing, think coffee talks. The list goes on.
Step 4 Experiment (my favorite step in the process): I love experimentation and you should too. We debunk, demystify, declassify, and determine whether our idea for transition is realistically aligned to us.
Ramy!! That is such a broad statement! I know but I really don’t want to make everyone read a novel here. Schedule some time with me here and we’ll talk.
Step 5: Enact….
Oh no you didn’t Ramy….
Hahaha! Yes I did. Come on, that’s an awesome song! After all, there is reward over the seaboard!
Enacting your possibility of transition can come in a variety of forms. For some, simply knowing and validating that there is something possible is one of the most liberating feelings that I have seen in my career.
For others, the path to a more prosperous and more rewarding professional life reveals itself here.
And yes, it can happen to you.
4 Min Video Recap:
Respect the Process.
Explore –> Express –> Engage –> Experiment –> Enact.
Boom Boom Boom let me hear you say…way to go!!! 😉
I know a lot of this may seem daunting and uneasy for many of you, but I’m one to believe that when you invest in yourself and your career, life feels better, food tastes better, air smells better…you feel better.
Questions? Comments? Needing clarity? Reach out to me or someone that comes to mind that you’d like to talk through this in more detail with.
Above all, keep the faith.
Thanks for reading!
Yours sincerely,
Ramy Ballout