In my experience, the clients who have easily transitioned from one career to another have done so when they’ve felt charged with positivity. They’ve created a compelling vision and imagined themselves achieving their dream. Yes, they have doubts and fears but their positive energy literally enabled the universe to move mountains and create miracles. All they need to do was stay focused on their outcome. “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it” – William Arthur Ward.
Take a look at my case studies to read examples of how this happened for many of my clients.
Positive outcomes rarely feature in the mind of a person whose thoughts have been consumed by self criticism. For these people, creating a compelling future is a distant fantasy.
Self criticism is part of the human experience. Everyone does it at some point in their lives. Many of us do it far more than is good for us. If we spend more time boosting ourselves up, than beating ourselves up, then we can create amazing outcomes. Once I’ve helped clients get clear about what they want, I spend most of my time helping them feel worthy of achieving it.
How does self compassion help?
Compassion is when we notice another’s suffering and respond to that suffering with understanding and kindness. Self compassion therefore is about being able to do this for ourselves, even when we’ve failed or messed up in some way. Especially then!
If you practice self compassion you’ll create more positive thoughts about yourself, enabling you to first imagine a more positive outcome in a new career, and then achieve it.
How can you develop self compassion?
1. Start by noticing the balance of positive versus negative thoughts you have, especially about yourself. If you notice the balance is out of whack, then you can choose to respond differently when faced with situations that would normally evoke a negative response.
2. Watch your self-talk, especially when things haven’t gone as well as you’d like. If you find yourself judging and criticising, take a step back and imagine you were talking to your best friend, or a child. How might you respond if it were them? But, don’t judge yourself when you fail, or when you realise you’ve already had the negative thought. Your thought patterns have been years in the making, so be realistic about your expectations.
3. Focus on what has gone well. When you’ve done something positive, had a productive conversation or produced a good piece of work, pat yourself on the back and have a little celebration! Taking time to celebrate, if only in a small way, is really important. It’s so easy to dismiss a job well done, especially if your self -worth is low.
Developing self compassion takes time, and practice. Once you’ve tipped the scales to more self praise than self criticism, you’ll be in a much better place to successfully change career with ease.
I am not underestimating for a minute how challenging it is to change the way you think about yourself! This is not a switch you suddenly turn off. You will be better at it some days than others, and because of this, I encourage you to gather some trusted supporters. Be it close friends or family, or a coach. Our supporters can often see we’ve gone back to our old behaviours before we can, and they’re quicker to provide the compassion that we can mirror back to ourselves.
If you would benefit from a free 40 minute consultation, contact me and I’d be delighted to discuss how I may be able to support you.
Warmest,
Sandra