If you are looking for a total career change, here’s how to practically get started

After many years of working as a professional, Sarah (not her real name) has decided to get out of the corporate rat race. Working long hours and being absent from her family were just some reasons to change careers.

There were ah-ha moments for her.

She saw many people including her pears getting caught in the toxic corporate lifestyle. They are desperately holding on to their jobs just to feed their busy personal lifestyles.

This was not something she wanted to continue doing.

For her, it’s imminent that jobs will get disrupted. Many people are not prepared to age-proof their life.

She is thinking about doing training and coaching in the future.

Not knowing where to start can be very frustrating

Like many burn-out professionals going through a midlife crisis like Sarah, the key question on their minds is this, “How best to get started?”

Not knowing where to start can be frustrating for many. She was totally lost and had no clue where to go or what to do!

Are you feeling the same way?

She wanted a change after many years of climbing the corporate ladder.

As a former colleague, we caught up to talk about herself and her aspirations.

It starts with self-awareness

I am glad that she has started her career change journey through self-awareness.

Being aware of your situation can motivate you to question your motives and future. It opens up the conversation about your identity, your purpose, and your life goals.

Living in complacency is very easy

It is easy to go on with work, life and family on auto-pilot, day-in, day-out. Depending on which country you are living in, most of us are living in very blessed and comfortable lives.

We become just too comfortable.

The boiling frog story is a great analogy of our lives.

We adapt to our circumstances. Being totally oblivious to the dangers, we just accept the ‘status-quo’. Ultimately, we ‘die’ – either in spirit, body or soul.

We become unhealthy. Depression and anxiety set in.

Life becomes meaningless. There’s no purpose in living.

Until shit happens

I have learned that until a crisis hits home hard, we humans will not take positive action to change. It is pointless to tell someone to change their behaviour when there is no crisis kicking down the door.

Only when the doctor says to you that “unless you lose weight and change your eating habit, you will die”, we will reluctantly change our lifestyles.

Unexpected retrenchments and layoffs are other examples where it forces people to rethink their careers. Maybe then, it’s too late.

When kids don’t call you “dad” anymore, perhaps that your wake up call!

Self-realisation or self-awareness can ignite the desire to take immediate action.

Just Do It and overcoming fears

Self-awareness must be followed by action-taking.

Procrastination can easily kill off any desire to be in a better place.

Fear of failure can easily stop any motivation or desire to take action.

Doing nothing is easy.

The hope and pray strategy is not a strategy!

There can be more than 101 reasons for not taking action.

It’s not time yet.

I have no money.

Don’t know-how.

I am saving money for a holiday or a house.

My children are still young.

I don’t have enough qualifications.

Having a clear WHY is absolutely critical

Our actions must be guided or focused. There must be a purpose for our actions.

This is where our WHY comes in.

Spending more time with your family?

Creating the freedom you desire?

Following your dreams?

Taking care of your health or finances?

Doing work that leaves you feeling gratified?

So, what’s your WHY in taking action?

Your personality counts

What you do and how you take action is determined by your personality type.

Some personalities are just suited to be entrepreneurs or business owners. Others just want to be employees working for employers in one job.

Some people want to wait for things to happen. Others want to make things happen.

Take the personality test here.