Now What?® Coaching

from Laura Berman Fortgang

Career transitions

GIVING THANKS GIVES WAY TO SMOOTH CAREER TRANSITIONS

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by Now What?® Coaching Founder, Laura Berman Fortgang

We all know to say please and thank you and send those post-interview thank you notes.  We all know that Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks for all we have.

These are good habits and fruitful ones.  However, there are more ways that gratitude can make life easier if you are in a transition in your life.

Lessons Learned

It’s easy to be bitter or get depressed when a lay off has occurred or money is tight or your life is in crisis for any reason.  Robert Frost once said:  “The easiest way out is through.” In my opinion, there is no better way to ‘get through’ than to find the good you can be grateful for even in the bad.

When we scan our past work, past bosses, past triumphs, and past losses, we need to unhook from the negatives and find what we can be grateful for.  So if somebody was cruel or unfair, thanks goodness!  They taught you to persevere.  Or they taught you how to speak up or they taught you that you belong in an environment where you are appreciated.

Give thanks for lessons learned.

Skills Gained

Similarly, even the worst of scenarios can hold a gift inside of them.  What skills did you gain?  What resume nuggets can you add?  What hard skill or soft skill learning did you take on?

None of these things can be taken away.  They are yours to keep.  Find gratitude for that.

Coming up in my professional life, there were certainly assignments I took on ‘just for the money’ that were not necessarily satisfying or life-affirming.  Nonetheless, at the time, I got through them by being grateful for the income, certainly, but also for the tid-bits of industry knowledge they gave me.  Thanks to the varied exposure, I can now carry on an intelligent business exchange in dozens of areas.  Thank goodness for those less than ideal assignments.

Going deeper

Beyond pleasantries and etiquette is deep, deep gratitude. —Gratitude for the people who have shaped you along your way.  Negative influences and positive, both call for gratitude.  Whether they were grains of irritating sand polishing you into a pearl or they were fuel that rocketed you sky high, they have made you who are today.

Think of those that have influenced your career path.  Think of those that believed in you when you did not believe in yourself.  Think of the person who was selfless on your behalf and the one that was selfish and got you angry enough to learn how to stand up for yourself.

Whether it was a parent, co-worker, boss or stranger everyone has had a hand in your growth and for that, being truly grateful will reap its rewards. Being at peace with past relationships, keeps the new ones free from baggage.  Appreciating those you crossed paths with makes for easy communication if you run into each other in other circles or find that you are to work together again.

Going deeper with your gratitude is not that selfless. It actually serves you very, very well.

So go forth and celebrate Thanksgiving.  Rejoice at your holiday table and keep the gratitude going for a long, long time.

“Choose to see the world through grateful eyes. It will never look the same way again.” Doe Zantamata

No Regrets

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Today’s post includes perspective from people of various ages and backgrounds, as they reflect on their career transitions. Despite some sacrifices and unknowns, most say they will not regret trying something new. Imagine yourself at some point in the future, having taken a chance with a new direction. What is it that you can picture yourself attempting that would cause you to say: No matter how it turns out, I’m glad I gave it a try.

“People who’ve turned their passions into new careers.”

Career Transition: A Chance to Evolve Your Life Story

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Some helpful thoughts here that may broaden your perspective on career change.  In the Now What? career transition coaching process, examining your life story is often a pinnacle moment because it helps you connect the dots in a new way.  Patterns and possibilities emerge that can only be detected in the context of your whole story.  Once understood, the next chapter often writes itself.

“Career Transitions & Finding a New Work Identity.”

Special thanks to Britta Stromeyer Esmail, the author of today’s article.

Getting What We Want Can Also Mean Giving Something Up

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By Alvah Parker,  Authorized Now What? Facilitator

Career transitions create discomfort. Often times, it is not clear where you are headed. At other times, you aren’t sure if you really want to make a change.  Like a snake shedding it’s old skin, you had adjusted to the “old skin”, your current career, but it just doesn’t fit any more.  As you become more uncomfortable, you realize you must make a change.

One key question to ask at this critical stage is, “What will I take with me and what will I leave behind?” As you begin to get clear on the answers, you will begin the process of letting go and moving on with greater clarity and confidence.

Bill, a software consultant I worked with, was miserable in his job. An ambitious person, Bill and his new wife had moved to Bahrain to work because the income looked promising.  He achieved the high salary he desired, but he also moved into a job that was less satisfying and more time consuming than he expected.

Prior to accepting the consulting job, Bill had done the same type of work for a large corporation.  Now as a consultant for the software company, he had to bid on work for multiple companies.  His expectation had been that he would just do the consulting work. Instead, he had to bid on the work before he could consult.  He hated writing responses to bids.  To make matters even worse, Bill was required to respond to every request even when Bill knew there was no chance of winning the business.  This made Bill angry and frustrated.

Bill enjoyed working with his clients and they liked and respected him.  Bill found he was frequently advising clients on other matters not just the software.  He started to enjoy the advising more than the consulting he was hired for.  As a result, he found himself impatient with the software consulting.

In addition, Bill disliked the travel he needed to do in his job. Bill was a newlywed and did not think about the travel when he accepted the job.  Now he resented being away from his wife several nights a week.  When he had to be away for a birthday or anniversary, he was especially upset.  Bill felt the software consulting job was controlling his life.

The situation finally got too difficult for Bill to bear.  He decided it was time for a change.  He admitted to me that there were several aspects of his work that he would miss.  The money was really good and had enabled him to save quite a nest egg.   He enjoyed certain perks such as a spacious home with a swimming pool.  He would never have had such a luxurious lifestyle in his own country.

Bill was finally willing to let go of those pieces though for a career that was more fulfilling, that he had more control over and that allowed him to be with his wife more.

He also noted that thanks to his software consulting he could take with him business know how, excellent computer skills, good writing and presentation skills, and strong leadership skills, all of which would be helpful in his new career.  He felt good about what he had gained—much better than he had in a long time.

Career transitions are not easy. It is often a time when people feel confused and uncomfortable.  Growth comes when you can shed what is no longer useful to you (your old skin) and have the courage to move on to something more meaningful and exciting.  After completing his work on letting go and moving on, Bill felt optimistic, energized and ready to explore the possibilities that lay ahead of him.

Based on Chapter Two of  Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang —With Every Gain, There Is a Loss