In my mid-thirties I left my job as a professor to start a business as a coach and speaker. I wanted to feel confident, clear, certain, and calm about my decision to change careers and take on a new position.
The problem was—I didn’t feel confident, clear, certain, and calm. I felt overwhelmed, insecure, scared, and riddled with self-doubt.
I spent an enormous amount of mental energy questioning my new career decision.
I should never have made this change.
This isn’t the right career for me.
This is harder than I thought.
Who am I to think I could do this?
I made a big mistake.
My brain was like a yo-yo. One day I was determined to make this work, 24 hours later I was certain I needed to jump ship.
The problem was NOT that I was feeling overwhelmed. The problem was that I thought I could adequately evaluate my new career choice while in a state of overwhelm and panic.
You may be hanging out on the same crazy train in your new job or new position.
You wonder if you made a mistake. You feel a sense of overwhelm. You’re questioning your capabilities. You think the work culture sucks.
You’re considering leaving.
I want to start by saying this. DON’T LEAVE. At least not yet!
Is this job a good fit? Will this be a role where you thrive? I don’t know. But I do know that you can’t adequately evaluate this right now.
The thing about change is that a great deal of the time IT SUCKS! Even changes that excite us and feel full of promise can quickly send the mind into a tailspin of panic.
What you need MOST right now is to get your mind to calm down and allow yourself to settle into this new job long enough to make a clear evaluation of it’s fit.
Start by acknowledging that your mind is having a meltdown about this job change.
Don’t assume your thoughts about your capabilities, the job fit, your new boss, and your impending failure are TRUE--Assume these thoughts are simply the brain’s reaction to doing something new.
In other words, you can’t trust your interpretation of your new job. You can’t trust your interpretation of your capabilities in this new job. You can’t trust your assumptions about how well you are performing in this new position.
I have seen many people leave jobs they later realize would have been a great fit had they worked through their own insecurities long enough to adjust to the change.
If you are leaving because you fear failure, hate the culture, or don’t feel capable, you are likely leaving too soon.
You need to work through the insecurities and newness long enough to feel a sense of calm confidence in this new position. From this space you can make a clear decision about it’s fit.
LEAVE OUT OF CLARITY. DON’T LEAVE OUT OF FEAR. CLARITY FEELS CALM. FEAR FEELS SHITTY.
Chances are if you are reading this article you don’t have clarity…yet.
Take a breath—calming your mind will bring you the clarity you seek.
Want help calming your mind and finding clarity? Grab my step-by-step guide on how to get yourself out of the new job panic and into feeling calm and confident.
