When I asked Annie what inspired her to change careers in her 40’s, she shared with me that she had just gone through a breakup. The separation marked the beginning of a deep transformational process in her life. One significant change often serves as a catalyst for positive transformations in other areas of our lives. While going through the pain and anger, Annie realized that she was truly searching for a new way of being in her life. On her quest she stumbled upon a question that changed her life. It was the first of three pivotal questions on her journey to career fulfillment.
“What is it that you have stopped wanting, because you think you cannot have it?”
Before you read on, take a moment to answer this question for yourself and jot down your answer.
Annie’s answer was “a house.” As a single mother, living in Victoria, with a part-time teaching job there was no way she could afford owning a house. As she read this question, she exclaimed:
“That’s it! I am a house buyer right now!”
She began spending all her spare time learning about real estate and shopping for houses. In the beginning she was looking at the cheapest houses. It was discouraging. She didn’t want to be broke just in order to live in a shack she could call her own. She realized she needed to dream bigger.
Before you continue reading, ask yourself: “Where in my life do I need to dream bigger?” Jot down your own answers. Unbeknownst to Annie this was the second pivotal question she asked herself on her journey to career fulfillment.
Annie began looking at more expensive houses, not knowing how she would afford any of them. Still she kept looking until, a couple of weeks later, she found a house she really liked. And with that discovery came a brilliant idea! Her best friend also wanted to buy a house. Why not buy a big house together? Within a few months, Annie had shifted from thinking that it was impossible for her to own a home to actually living in her own 5 bedroom house.
This positive change encouraged her to embark on another quest, the quest for her new career. She had felt stagnant and a bit bored in her part-time teaching job for quite some time and was longing for something new. When the chair of her department called her a few weeks later to say that they didn’t have any classes for her to teach in the next semester, she took this as a confirmation that she was ready for a significant career change.
Take a moment now to notice signals in your own life that may be telling you “it’s time for a positive career transformation!” There may be internal signals such as feelings of boredom, impatience or frustration and external signals such as reduced hours at work, change in leadership or physical injuries.
Annie had no idea what her new career was going to be. Annie wanted something that challenged her to grow and expand who she was. Because she really had no idea what her future career was going to be, she began by connecting with how she wanted to feel in her new career. Annie wanted to feel excited to go to work everyday. She longed to feel fit and well in her body wear high heels! She yearned to meet plenty of new people and she desired to learn new things.
Before you continue reading, take a moment to connect with your own sense of longing. “How do you want to feel in your career and in your life?” Just like Annie, you may not know what your future career will look like. However, you may very well have a sense of how you would like to feel in your new career. Take a moment to jot down your desired feelings. What would career fulfillment feel like for you?
On her journey towards career fulfillment, Annie connected daily with the way she wanted to feel in her new career.
Every morning and every night, Annie imagined feeling the way she wanted to feel in her new career. That’s what kept her going over the next few months as she began looking at job postings. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She literally looked at hundreds of postings that didn’t appeal.
Meanwhile she continued to learn about real estate and investments going to seminars. One day she had an epiphany: The man up on stage was essentially teaching. She said to herself, “this guy is making way more money than I ever made as a teacher. I loved being a teacher; I didn’t leave because of teaching but because there wasn’t enough to learn for me any more.”
One day she saw a job posting that resonated with her desired feeling. It was a posting for a financial advisor position. At first she hesitated, thinking that she had no background in finances. Then she remembered the speaker at the real estate seminar. She realized that she had everything it took to do the job, she just needed to learn about financial planning. Annie holds a masters degree, she has a natural curiosity and loves to learn new things. Knowing these characteristics about herself, gave her the confidence to apply for the position.
Just like Annie, you too have a wealth of work and life experience that may be transferable to completely different settings. Don’t let your lack of background knowledge about a new career stop you as you journey towards career fulfillment.
As a financial advisor, she truly found the excitement, career fulfillment and the challenge she was longing for.
During the interview Annie was interviewing her future employer, just as much as they were interviewing her. She kept asking herself, “Does this environment match my desired feelings?” Annie walked out of the interview, knowing that this was her job. Two men were holding the doors for her and she felt like a super star. “I am going to like that job!” Annie exclaimed to herself with a big smile.
When she embarked on her new career path as a financial advisor, she truly found the excitement, career fulfillment and the challenge she was longing for. As a financial advisor Annie brings to her clients an awareness of what it is like to be a financial newbie, an ability to convey complex concepts in simple terms and a contagious enthusiasm for creating financial freedom.
“I want to be a good role model for my daughter…” Annie’s message to her daughter is: career fulfillment is possible!
When I asked Annie what helped her persevere through the challenges of finding and building her new career, Annie responded: “I want to be a good role model for my daughter and not just throw the towel when things get challenging.”
Looking at all the job postings from her search also helps her renew her commitment to her new path. “There is no other job I truly want. My job feels good. The money aspect can be a challenge, especially in the early stages of building my business, but it is exactly what I want to be doing.” says Annie. “I create the days I want. I always begin by playing a match of tennis, followed by my morning meditation. I cherish the freedom and flexibility my new career offers me. I want to show my daughter that it’s possible to create the life and career you want.”
You too can create the life and career you really want, even if you have no idea what that would look like. It all begins with asking the right questions and opening yourself to receiving support on your journey to career fulfillment.
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