You Don't Have to Be Perfect but You DO Have to Get Started!

“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” -Mark Twain

I've been there. I've spent many a day dreaming about the perfect life that I wanted to have. I dreamed of the perfect jobs I'd have and the amazing businesses that I'd start. Then I'd go about my daily business of working my 9-5 and doing nothing to bring those dreams to fruition. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lauren and I was (and still am, le sigh) a closet perfectionist.

How many times have you avoided working toward a goal because you were waiting for the perfect moment to start? Or maybe it was waiting until you had the perfect mentor. Or maybe it was waiting until you had the perfect website. Or maybe it was waiting until you knew “enough” to be considered an expert in your field. Knock it off! The only perfect time to start working on making your dream a reality is NOW! 

Here are a couple of tips to get you started if starting a new career is one of your goals:

• Think about the job attributes that are important to you. You know what those are: Do you want to constantly be learning new things? Is stability a priority? Do you want a leadership position?
• Brainstorm about careers that you might be interested in
• You don’t have to settle on anything yet. You just need to make a list of possibilities to explore.
• Pull out that notebook or notes app and write down every career you think you might be interested in.
• Don't limit yourself! All you're doing is making a list. You're not sending your resume... yet.
• Research the careers on your list
• Look online for jobs listings in those careers to see what education and skills you would need for those positions
• Think about if the job descriptions match up to your professional priorities. 
  • If they don't, strike them off your list!
• It's time for a deep dive! Based on your research, narrow down list of possibilities to one or two positions
  • Talk to people in the field to see if the day-to-day of the career is what you thought it to be and other questions that you may have

I can go on and on but that's just a start. Once you reach the last point, you can then think about how much you want to push forward towards those careers or whether you need to go back to your list. 

Don’t freak out thinking that you have to do everything on the above list all at once. Kick that perfectionist to the curb!

You can make a lot of progress if you consistently work on the above list. To help ensure that you make time for your career transition, schedule it on your calendar. Spend 5-30 minutes a day working on one of the above tips. There will be times when you have more or less time to spend on your career transition project but make sure that you usually do something to move towards your goal. 

What are you waiting for? Get started on that list!

Would you like more guidance and coaching on how to change careers? Schedule a discovery call with me and let’s see how I can help you with your career transition.