|
If you
dream about having a different career, but don't act
on that dream, you may be operating under the
assumption of a career myth. In this article, I
expose 10 myths, sayings you've heard before that
simply are not true. Let's explore them.
Career Myth #1: You Can't Make a Living Doing
Something You Really, Truly Love
This is
the grand-daddy of career myths, the belief that you
can't have a "practical" career doing something that
you are passionate about. It has to be one or the
other.
This myth
is rooted in fear. Fear that we have to sacrifice
our happiness to make a living. Don't buy the myth
that you can't earn a living by doing what you love.
When I
first started coaching, I heard from plenty of
people that it would be very difficult to make a
living doing this work. I just decided to find
coaches who were successful, and to learn from them
(simple, eh?).
If you
find yourself buying into this myth, consider this
question - As you look back on your life, what will
you regret more? Following your passion or following
your fears?
Career Myth #2: It's a Tough Job Market/Economy
Even when
the newspapers and other news sources say that
unemployment numbers remain steady, that job growth
is at a standstill, or that we're experiencing slow
economic recovery, not to mention downsizing and
outsourcing, don't believe it.
It's a
myth because it doesn't reflect the whole story, the
fact that it's a different job market today. It's a
changing economy. How we transition from job-to-job
is different. Hiring practices have shifted. So the
job market has changed, but that doesn't necessarily
make it tougher. What makes it tougher is that we've
been slower to change. We've held on to old
practices and old behaviors. That's not to say that
old ways still don't work, but they're just not as
effective.
So I
challenge you to just believe that it's a perfect
job market for you to find work. I've had my college
students try this, just for a week, and, more times
than not, several of them found job leads or made
important connections during the week.
Career Myth #3: Changing Careers Is Risky
What's
riskier than leaving what you know to pursue the
unknown? Changing careers means leaving behind a
piece of your identity - your "I'm a lawyer"
response to the "what-do-you-do?" question. It might
mean admitting to yourself that you made a mistake
with an initial career choice. Or it might mean
acknowledging that you're unsure of what's next. And
smart people always know what's next, right?
Nope.
Successful career changers often don't have a plan.
In Working Identity: How Successful Career Changers
Turn Fantasy into Reality by Herminia Ibarra, she
provided evidence that waiting until you have a plan
is actually riskier than just doing and
experimenting.
Nothing,
absolutely nothing, is riskier than not changing
careers if you're longing to do so. Here's why: The
longing won't go away. It will always be there,
under the surface, waiting for you to do something
about it.
Career Myth #4: Always Have a Back-up Plan
Sometimes, having a back-up plan is the smart and
prudent course of action. Back-up plans are so
grown-up and responsible. But what happens when
you're standing with one foot in and one foot out?
In my experience, we usually close the door and
retreat. We are reluctant to commit to ourselves,
and we end up denying ourselves the satisfaction of
playing full-out, getting dirty and sweaty. We end
up with feelings of regret and the nagging "What
if?" question.
Back-up
plans diffuse our energy. Diffused energy equals
diffused results. Give all that you've got to your
dream/passion/risk and you've got a better chance of
being successful.
Career Myth #5: There's a Perfect Job Out There for
Everyone
How long
have you been searching for yours? You just know,
deep inside, that there's an ideal job that's
perfect for you out there. It matches your
personality, skills, and interests to a tee. And it
pays well. If only you could figure it out. If only
you knew what it was.
Is there
a perfect job out there for you? No. And here's the
good news - there are more jobs than you can imagine
that would be "perfect" for you. Chances are you've
even come very, very close to a few of those perfect
jobs already. So what happened? And how do you
recognize one of these so-called "perfect jobs"?
Ever see
the perfect gift for someone, but it was months till
his or her birthday? Then when you go to find the
item later, you can't. Another lost opportunity and
you, once again, berate yourself for not buying it
when you first saw it.
So maybe
you've run into a perfect job in the past, but
because of the timing, you passed on the
opportunity. Or maybe you were so focused on
something else that you missed an obvious clue.
Instead of dwelling on the past, which you can't
change, vow to keep your eyes open and to look
beyond the obvious.
Career Myth #6: Asking "What's the Best Thing for Me
to Do?" Is the Right Question
This is
one of the most common questions asked when
considering a career change or a career move. It
seems like a logical analysis - weigh the pros and
cons and evaluate the balance.
Do not
ask yourself this question!! It rarely leads you to
the answers you're seeking. It will lead you to
feeling overwhelmed with options (sound familiar?),
or feeling like you have to choose what's practical
over what seems to be impractical.
The
question that will lead you to answers is simple
(but not easy!!) It is "What do I really want to
do?" This is a very different question than "what's
best?"
Career Myth #7: If You Don't Like Your Job, You're
Probably in the Wrong Career
Cause and
effect, right? One way to tell if you're in the
right career is whether or not you like your job. If
you're dissatisfied with your job, it's probably a
sign that you need to re-examine your whole career
choice. This is frequently what I hear from new
clients who have decided to work with a career
coach. They know something isn't right because they
don't like their jobs. Their natural assumption is
that their dissatisfaction is a symptom of a larger
underlying issue - their career choice.
This is
an example of false logic. Not liking your job might
be telling you you're in the wrong job. It doesn't
necessarily mean you're in the wrong career. It
doesn't even mean you're in the wrong job. You could
just be working for the wrong person or the wrong
company. It takes a skillful approach to discern the
source of discontent, and I think it's very hard to
do it on your own (shameless plug for career coaches
here!)
Career Myth #8: Everyone Needs a Mission Statement
Do you
know what your mission is? Mission statements are
supposed to guide us, keep us on track, and help us
move forward. But what if you don't have one? Does
that mean you're destined to never fulfill your
potential career-wise?
A client
who was a successful professional contacted me
because she was at a career crossroads. She felt
that if only she could find her mission in life, she
would know which career path to take.
She had a
clear goal for coaching - find her mission! Instead,
the most amazing thing happened. She decided that
she didn't need a mission. She chose to trust that
she was already fulfilling her mission statement,
even though she didn't know what it was. After the
client shifted her focus from finding her mission to
living her life, an amazing opportunity came her way
and she pursued it.
Here's a
little tip: If your mission statement is elusive,
stop chasing it. Be still and let it find you. And
in the meantime, keep living your life and see what
happens.
Career Myth #9: Expect a Career Epiphany
When you
see a link to "Find Your Dream Job," do you
immediately click on it to see what's there? Do you
look at every "Top Ten Career" list out there to see
if anything catches your interest? Do you know your
MBTI type? If you do, you might be falling prey to
the career epiphany myth.
I'd love,
love, love it if most of my clients had a career
epiphany that indicated to them, in crystal-clear
terms, their next step. Instead, I see career "unfoldings"
or a journey of discovery much more regularly. That
is, being willing to not ignore the obvious, the
pokes, the prods, and listen carefully to the
whisper within. Yep, forget harp music and angels,
for most of us, the career epiphany is a quiet
whisper.
Career Myth #10: Ignoring Your Career
Dissatisfaction Will Make It Go Away
Oh, if
only this worked in the long run!! Granted, it does
work at first. When you find yourself beginning to
question your career, you'll find it's rather easy
to push the thoughts aside and pretend they aren't
there. You know what I'm talking about: the "what
ifs" and the list of regrets.
Over
time, the random thoughts become nagging thoughts.
You spend more and more time daydreaming about
options. You build your list of reasons to ignore
your growing career dissatisfaction:
-
You're too old.
- You
don't want to take a pay cut.
- You
don't want to go back to school.
- You
missed your opportunity 5, 10, 15 years ago.
With
clients in this situation, we work on identifying
and challenging these fears. Sometimes the fear of
change remains, but there becomes a greater
commitment to living than to feeling the fear.
Challenge
So now
that you know that one or all of these myths have
been holding you back, what are you waiting for?
Stacey
Lane, MS, CPCC, loves the challenges of working with
bright and talented professionals who are struggling
with their career direction and reaching their
potential. Using an innovative four step process,
Stacey specializes in helping clients develop smart
career strategies. For more:
http://www.staceylane.net.
|
