Today I’m celebrating my 6 month anniversary of going full-time as a business coach. I’ve learned more about business in that time than in the 6 years prior. I picked up an expression when I used to teach that says, “A good teacher will always learn at least as much as the students you teach and probably so much more!” It’s so true!
Honestly, it’s been a tough road with a lot of challenges. Starting a new business or reinventing your career isn’t for the faint of heart! It requires you to acquire new skills, forces you to face fears, and demands you to build rock-hard skin. It’s been a tough road. Sometimes challenging and sometimes overwhelming, but for me one that I’ve enjoyed every step of the way.
So why would someone leave the safety of a 9-5 for the unknowns of entrepreneurship or a new career?
Here are 8 reasons:
· Capped salary earnings
· Flexibility and a better work-life balance
· Current job isn’t satisfying or challenging enough
· To follow a passion
· Toxic work environment
· Unsatisfactory leadership
· Lack of job security
· Too much workload
But even with these reasons many go to work every day just to suffer in silence. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why people, who aren’t happy in their current careers, don’t make the changes needed to be more satisfied in their work life. Why is it so challenging to shift out of one career into another even knowing upfront that their lives would be better for it?
Speaking from my own personal experience, I found that the career that I had chosen to work in for years, photography, had changed drastically, and not in a good way. If I’m truly honest with myself though, I loved what I did and I’m very proud of all the achievements I’ve accomplished but I was just bored and feeling unchallenged. I had achieved every goal that I had set out as a business owner in my field and was feeling called to follow other passions that interested me. I’d lost my excitement for what I chose to do for a living, and I wanted that feeling back!
But like most people, change definitely didn’t come overnight. I found it very hard to commit to a major life change. I faced several very solid mental obstacles that kept me from realizing with confidence that it was time to move on from my existing career and do what my gut had been telling me for years. My head just wasn’t listening to what my heart was saying to me.
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” ~Dolly Parton
My blocks (excuses) were:
Time – I had invested so much time in building a very successful photography career (35 years, in fact), that it seemed nuts to “throw it all away.”
Ego – My ego told me that I had worked so hard to achieve a respected position in the photography world that I didn’t want to step back and be a “beginner” again. I didn’t want to be the new guy starting at the bottom rung of the ladder.
Self-Doubt – I worried about who I was going to be. My entire adult life, my identity was tied to being Dave the photographer. If I wasn’t a photographer then what was I? Would people still like me if I did something different? Would I? Starting a business is hard work and I wasn’t a 21-year-old graduate full of energy like I was in my first business creation. What if I tried something new and failed? What if I didn’t have what it takes to recreate my success again? I was afraid of being a one-hit wonder.
Money – I was earning a steady income. What was I thinking? Who takes a risk like this at a time when my friends were starting to talk about retirement? I got so nervous that instead of doing what I knew I wanted to be doing (coaching), I took the so-called “smart route” and took an offer to work for a well-known, highly regarded company for two years. Why, because it was a dream career for me. Not really, I did it because the money looked good. I chased the money and I paid for it hard in frustration, unhappiness, and anxiety! I just wasn’t cut out to work a 9-5.
The Unknown – Finally, I was nervous to change because I desperately crave security. I wanted what I had done for so long to work out for me, not because I truly still wanted to be there, but because it was safe, and it was known. The truth is, I was scared to try something outside of the comfort zone I had built over the years.
All that being said, I’m stubborn and after months of research, and self-talk, I decided to face my fears, get off my butt, and moved very far out of my safety zone.
Now, almost three years into my reinvention and 6 months since I went full-time in my new career, I see things very differently. I can honestly say that none of the reasons above are enough to keep you stuck in a career or job that doesn’t make you happy. Life is too short to settle.
I often hear clients say that as soon as they get the courage, they’ll make the jump, but it doesn’t work that way. You have to take intelligent action first, as hard as that will be. Courage comes from making the decision to take that action even when you’re afraid. The more actions you take, the more courageous you will be because you’ll begin to trust that you can push past your fear and realize that there really isn’t much that can hold you back once you make up your mind to change.
We should go to work to sustain the life we want, not create a life that fits in with our work. In this post-pandemic creator economy, there’s no reason to be doing something that doesn’t make you excited to go to work every day or offers little support financially.
If you want to change your career direction, create your passion business, or work a side gig for fun, this is the time!
Start fast, start slow but just start.
Interested in finding out how to take the first steps? Message me and let's chat.
I teach 9-5ers how to start and run their own profitable business so that they can enjoy a career where happiness and an enjoyable work-life balance are the norms, not the exceptions!
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