Most people have a vague idea about the type of change they’d like to make(even if they never share them with anyone else).
Maybe it’s a new career, maybe it’s a move to a life near the sea or the countryside. Or maybe it’s the dream to become self employed or have a flexible freelance career to create that elusive work-life balance.
But despite these grand plans and very good intentions, many people never get their ideas off ground as they simply overthink things.
The overthinking and overplanning usually then results in overwhelm: they become paralysed through indecision and do absolutely nothing. Over time the fear of change sets in and they then become stuck until some major external event (redundancy, a health issue, a divorce, financial challenge) forces them to re-examine what it is they truly want.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Any major change process is never ever a linear step by step process. By it’s very nature, change has uncertainty and unpredictability built in. Which is precisely why it’s scary in much the same way as any adventure or journey is.
So whilst you can’t plan such a change process in a linear objective fashion, there is a more subjective methodology that will get you there much faster:
1. Have a broad direction in mind
Rather than rigid goals and detailed plans – start with a broad objective or direction.
“I’d like a career which allows me to do something meaningful” or “I want to have a role that lets me see my kids after school” or “I want to live by the sea and have my own beach pad” (Full disclosure: that last quote and the picture above is for me!).
2. Focus on the next step
What’s the next instinctive step to take for you?
It could be simply updating your CV or resume, it could be having a coffee with your friend Jane who has the kind of lifestyle you want or simply dedicating next weekend to really thinking about what it is you want. To disconnect from the rest of the world and reconnect with yourself so that you can tune into your intuition.
3. Trust your instincts
When you pursue something that you truly want in your heart – your gut instinct and intuition will usually be guiding you.
But to tap into your intuition, you need to
a) learn to slow down, tune into your intuition and listen more to yourself and
b) begin trusting your intuition. By letting your instinct direct your actions – even though they may not seem rational and in line with a “linear plan”
4. Let go of the outcome
The more you stay focused and attached rigidly on an end goal – the harder it becomes to get there, the further it seems to move away (a bit like the horizon)
So yes, have an intention and a focus in terms of direction. But don’t obsess over it. The more you become detached emotionally from the end outcome and simply stay in the moment and go with the flow – the faster you get to where you want to be (….and guess what, it’s often not quite where you thought you’d end up).
5. Be flexible and go with the flow
It’s not exactly what your mum and dad taught you – or indeed what the old career planning books advised (“decide on a goal. Create a plan. Then break down the plan in a step by step fashion…”)
But in today’s ever changing world, such a linear approach no longer works.
Instead, learning to go with the flow, adapt based on your surroundings and learning to be instinctive is one of the most important skills you’ll need – not simply to excel , but simply to survive.
Some people will read the above points and see them as being a little ‘whacky’. Some will think I’ve been smoking something funny and lost the plot.
The reality is that it’s the people telling you to follow old style step-by-step career and life plans that have lost the plot.
And that’s why going through such a change process is so tough emotionally. Because friends, family, colleagues (whose support you need), will be the first ones to question your judgment and your sanity – which at times will lead to you questioning yourself too.
And when you do get those pangs of self doubt, please come back and read this blog post again. Better still, go and listen to some people far wiser than me.
As a starter, watch this brilliant speech from Steve Jobs talking about how “the dots join up backwards in your career” – and the importance of listening to your heart and going with the flow. It worked for him as he built Apple into the coolest and most profitable technology firm in the world. So no reason why it can’t work for you right?
Or go and read the work of Dan Pink, the New York Times best-selling author who has written and spoken extensively about the changing work place and how we can no longer plan like we used to in the past.
Much of the advice and ideas you read from me are based on my instinct and what I see in terms of trends and anecdotal evidence in the market. What I love about Dan’s work is that it’s based on research. He is a linear thinker who uses facts, figures and case studies which prove that linear career planning no longer work. That the people who will thrive in the new world of work are those who don’t attempt to overplan career and lifestyle objectives.
So stop overthinking and stop overplanning. Focus on the next steps, trust your instincts whilst you go with the flow.
There is plenty of excitement, adventure, opportunities (and maybe the odd fall) in the road ahead. You just need to get out of your head and get out onto that road to experience the thrills and spills of the journey. So take that next step and, who knows, I may well see you at the beach!
Twitter: @sitalruparelia
No comments:
Post a Comment