Are you at a stage in your life when you’re thinking about a career change?
In the last 10 years I’ve personally coached thousands of people with that same desire and helped them transition into more meaningful, fulfilling careers.
But when I first met these people, the vast majority of them were full of doubt, stressed out, and not sure how to make the right decision. And almost all of them were making the SAME, critical mistake.
Something they thought was helping them move forward, but was actually sabotaging their dream of stepping into a more meaningful career.
So if you’re thinking of changing careers, I’m about to fill you in on a little secret that can save you a whole lot of time and energy on your journey to a more fulfilling life.
It’s a simple antidote to a common career change mistake — one that will help you sidestep your overthinking and second-guessing and finally step into an amazing new career you LOVE. So let’s start spilling.
The Downside of Research
Over the past 12-years I’ve been blessed to lead live events and speak to over 15,000 people looking for help creating a career they actually loved.
Some of them were retired looking for what’s next, some had been in a career for 20+ years, and longed for something new, some were younger and had come to realize the path they chose was not for them.
Maybe you can relate to this…
Because you’re smart, have skills, you’ve created some success along the way, and you’re actively looking for opportunity.
But you may have noticed that on your own, you’ve experienced some common career change mistakes that are slowing you down.
And most of it may be coming from within you…
For example, thoughts inspired by doubt, fear, and uncertainty may result in you:
- Not seeking a new career that aligns with your dreams, core values, and priorities.
- Allowing money to be the deciding factor on what career to go into next.
- Settling into another career you don’t love because you doubt yourself.
This kind of thinking creates blocks that dissuade, distract, and delay you from taking action. These invisible forces are powered by your paradigms (how you’ve been programmed to think and act based on your upbringing and other life influences) which reel you back into your comfort zone in the face of change.
These thoughts may even be running inside you right now, and to compensate, you may be tempted to research until you have every answer you’re looking for. But this is actually the main culprit behind the #1 career change mistake:
Staying stuck in analysis paralysis.
Analysis paralysis refers to the state of over-analyzing things up to the point that a decision is never taken. Basically, it’s the inability to act or decide due to overthinking possible outcomes and solutions.”
So what happens is when you have so much information, options, and research in front of you, your subconscious mind flees from the overwhelm and defaults to a more comfortable experience: the familiar.
So instead of thinking about your dream career change and taking the next best step, you get pulled back into your failure stories, memories, and past/current experiences.
To pull you out of the lull of the familiar, let’s explore how the #1 mistake impacts your career transition and how to overcome it!
Your Pull To The Familiar Will Try To Convince You It’s Too Late To Change
When faced with something new (like a career switch), your mind immediately goes on the defensive.
This is usually an automatic response to when you’re considering something with even the slightest possibility of failure.
And that terrifies your subconscious.
So in your paradigm’s attempt to keep you safe from failure, one of the most common things it’ll do is lead you into a research marathon.
Comparing countless programs…
Watching endless hours of YouTube videos…
Or scrolling through hundreds of job posts without applying…
Your paradigm’s desired result?
You give up.
After all, in the face of overwhelm, the best option is to drop everything and convince yourself that you’re fine where you’re at.
That there’s no need for change, no matter how much you really want it.
That it’s too late for change…
But if you believe it is too late to change, you eliminate all other motivating factors that may motivate you to go beyond your comfort zone.
This is the attitude that says, “I have invested so much time and effort in one career, and I just have to suck it up and grind it out.”
The truth is that at any moment you can reinvent yourself.
For instance:
- Vera Wang didn’t start fashion designing until age 40!
- Ray Croc was selling milk shake machines all through his forties, but didn’t purchase the first McDonald’s until age 50.
- Julia Child made her television debut in “The French Chef” at age 51.
- Morgan Freeman didn’t have his first big acting role until age 52.
- Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known as Grandma Moses, began her prolific painting career at 78. In 2006, one of her paintings sold for $1.2 million.
You can reinvent yourself anytime you want. And when deciding how to reinvent themselves, most people tend tp make this next move…
Your Logic Tends To Self-Sabotage.
As powerful as the signals of longing and discontent are in your life, you can bury their guidance with logic.
So instead of focusing on your dream career, you get bogged down by your logical brain that seeks to limit your possibilities and default to what’s safe and familiar.
Because of this, people who consider moving away from their current position will usually ask 2 primary questions:
- What am I good at?
- How can I make the most money with those skills?
Most people think their best opportunity lies in the overlap of these two answers.
While this is a good start (and there’s nothing wrong with these questions) neither of these questions will solve the deeper problem of being unfulfilled. If you choose a new career from this place, you’ll almost always end up replicating your same unfulfilling circumstances a few years later.
That’s because…
Longing and discontent are not based on your logic, they are coming from Spirit. Your longing and discontent Spirit seeking to grow, to expand, by means of you.
A longing is when you want something to shift in your life. For example, “more income” or “more quality time with the kids.”
Discontent typically shows up as unhappiness with your situation such as, “I’m tired of working overtime”.
It’s essential to know that both are signposts, pointing you toward your dreams!
A sign that there is more in store for you.
And a career change is like a blank slate moment for you, a truly precious opportunity.
The good news is that there are guiding questions you can ask yourself to make the most of this opportunity!
Guide Your Way Forward With Better Questions
Here are three other questions to consider…
What would you love?
What makes you come alive?
What kind of impact would you love to have on others?
When you measure your next step based on the vision you have for your impact and passion, all the meaningless options fade to the background.
You’ll think outside of the parameters you’ve used to limit your possibilities up to this point.
In fact, that was my story.
I was a biology teacher and invested years into this path, but I felt confined and wanted to impact more people. I loved to teach, but I didn’t just want to teach kids about mitosis and miosis.
I wanted to teach people about the potential they have inside and help them achieve their dreams.
The impact I wanted was for people to breakthrough areas they felt stuck in and achieve beautiful dreams and goals they loved.
I saw the example of speakers, teachers, life coaches doing this work, and I knew that if I learned how to do that, I could take my passion for teaching and combine it with transformation and reach lots of people.
So that’s what I did!
In 2008 I launched my coaching business, and since then have impacted tens of thousands of people’s lives.
I’ve been blessed to generate millions of dollars along the way in my coaching business – but the best part is the fulfillment of changing lives and knowing I’m doing what I was put here to do.
The most important thing is for you to trust the answers that come when you ask these questions.
The answers you receive are Life itself, beckoning you forward — so listen closely! They will lead you to incredible places.
So next time you’re tempted to shut down from analysis paralysis, recalibrate the direction of your thoughts to this:
If you couldn’t fail, and could be or do anything, what would you love?
Breaking Through Analysis Paralysis
What breaks the ice between your current position and your dream career is simple:
Take a single step — any step!.
Because by taking even one, tiny step – you’re no longer frozen in place.
You’re no longer scrolling through job posts and not applying…
Checking out certification programs and not enrolling…
But, to clarify:
- Learning about something is not taking a step. That’s analysis.
- And the difference between activity and action is progress. In other words, is your action moving you closer to your dream or keeping you paralyzed in place?
Essentially, you’re releasing the “HOW” and trusting that eventually you’ll “Connect the dots moving backwards,” as Steve Jobs once said.
You don’t need to know “how” you’ll reach your final destination… by simply taking a step, the next one will reveal itself to you!
So to move your wish for a dream career out of entertainment and into reality, take the first step.
And if that next step is the sacred call to coach and transform the lives of others, you’ve found your starting line right here :-).
CONCLUSION: Go From Analysis Paralysis To Solid Strategy
This post discussed the #1 career change mistake and how cold feet can keep you stuck in your comfort zone, spinning your wheels in the mud, thinking you’re doing a lot but in truth not moving any closer to your dream life.
We also touched on the lulling effect of familiarity, the logic of self-sabotage, and how your longing and discontent guide you in the right direction of your dream.
If this has inspired you to take a powerful action in the direction of your dream career…
And if you feel called to become a life coach but you aren’t sure where to begin or even if it’s the right move for you, we’d love to help!
Apply for a free Strategy Session with one of our hand-picked, highly-trained team members and we’ll discuss with you what it takes to become a heart-centered life coach and help you determine if this is the career path for you.
To the career of your dreams,
Mat Boggs
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