Are you bored at work? Has it been a long time since you’ve actually been challenged on the job? There’s a reason. Sometimes you can be too comfy.
I'm not actually talking snuggies, yoga pants and comfy sox. Those things are awesome. I'm talking about feeling totally comfortable in your career.
The 'devil you know' comfort is born out of fear. You stay where you are, doing what you're doing, because of fear of the unknown. Where you are might be crappy - but at least you know what kind of crap to expect... right?
Unless there's something on your horizon that gives your stomach the jitters and freaks you out just a bit... something that pushes you out of your comfort zone... you will always be *exactly* right where you are. That's fine... right?
There is a time and space that you get to where you know it’s time to leave your job but you also know that it's a safe place and the devil you know is better than whatever freaky, hypothetical, scaries are out there in the world.
You're scared to make change. I get it. That fear is real! There is one way to combat it though and it's a simple technique a lot of coaches use. I'd love for you to give it a shot and do it right now.
If you are at a point where you want to leave your job or your career and you want to change into something else - but you also are feeling that all the bad things are going to happen if you do and that here at least I know what the bad things are then this is what I'd like you to do: just close your eyes for a minute.
Sit back. Sit back and visualize. Visualize doing nothing. Visualize making no change. Visualize keeping everything the same as it is today. Picture yourself 3 months from now - a year from now - 3 years from now... still where you are now, doing what you're doing now, in the ways you’re doing them. Now how does that make you feel?
That scary feeling right there? That staying right where you are... that should terrify you. So how do you do the flip side of that? You focus on the best possible outcome of leaving!
Visualize again, but this time visualize changing everything. Visualize changing where you work, what work you do, changing how that work is done! You should still be scared but it should be the giddy, excited, scared. It should be your that your biggest worry is that they won't have the kind of coffee you like in the break room.
Focus on the best possible scenario and what could possibly happen... because here's the thing... if you create this idea in your mind of the ideal workplace, doing the ideal work, in the way that you want to do it... then you can actually create a plan to make those things happen.
That visualization of the best possible outcome could be your reality a few months from now, but you have to know where to start.
If you find yourself doubting your marketability in the workplace or feeling like you’re just not good enough, doubting that anyone will want to hire you for whatever reason … think about again not doing anything. That should scare you way more - that idea of festering and molding and wasting away doing what you're doing and feeling the way you do today.
I know everyone's situation is different. You may not be able to quit today do this ideal job “thing.” But you can make slow, incremental changes and it can happen in the next few months, or in the next year. You just need to figure out what that ideal is for you. What the best possible outcome is for you.
Get it down on paper and start working towards that instead of just sitting and worrying about the bad things that could happen. I challenge you to challenge this idea that staying where you are because it's safe is the best course of action because that isn't any course of action.
Go ahead. Visualize not changing anything and visualize changing everything and get moving!!
If you’re really ready to get moving and finally figure out what work you’re meant to do, check out Career Change With Confidence for a step by step plan.
Yours in career goodness,
EBS
