Yeah, yeah. You’ve been saying the same thing to yourself for too long. You don’t want to stay in your current job.
Maybe you know what makes it wrong for you, maybe not. The point is you’re ready for it to be behind you, and you are stuck.
Right now, you can see everything about what’s wrong with where you are. What you can’t see are the (great) possibilities and options that lie ahead.
Yes, it feels like you are not moving. But in fact, you are on a journey. You are in a place that’s called FAMILIAR. Familiar often equals INERTIA.The known evil, so to speak. It’s probably comfortable, too. Ha!
Let’s pry open the door so you can get moving. Imagine “familiar” is behind you. Look forward. There are a few sign posts ahead of you. The signs say POSSIBILITIES and OPTIONS.
Perhaps those signs have you looking with interest or curiosity. Don’t ask for hopefulness or certainty right now. Your job is to get unstuck.
It’s time to warm up to the idea of possibilities and options. You’re simply getting ready to move forward.
In your pre-job search, try out these three goals:
GET A REALITY CHECK.Talk to a few people doing work they find interesting. Find out what they like about their work. If there are specific jobs that interest you, talk to at least one person doing that job. Getting a reality check means finding out what it’s like “out there” in the land of people doing work they like/love, and in the land of work you might love.
GIVE YOUR FEARS SPACE.There are probably a few key reasons you haven’t left the old job. Fears. They come in different major categories: money, security, job search skills, job-doing skills, lack of competitiveness, overwhelm, time management. Right now, name your fears. Write them down. It’s important to know where you need support to move forward. It’s critical to know what you most need in a new job when it comes to compensation, benefits, etc.
GET INFORMATION. It’s time to start getting fresh perspectives, new ideas and concrete data. Information is truly power. Information is the door to clarity and a targeted, supported job search. Get a notebook or open a new folder and start jotting down what you want to learn or know more about. Write down what interests you. Write down jobs, organizations, people you admire, projects that sound interesting. As you do this, notice what gets your attention (there is a world beyond your familiar old place.) This file is your go-to place for researching job possibilities, networking ideas, and education and training programs. For this goal, you are cautioned against overdoing it. Remember, you’re warming up to the prospect of moving on.
As you are working on these goals, keep returning to the idea of a path. What can you add as steps between the Old and Familiar, and Options and Possibilities? Those steps are key for you moving on!