Having spent many years talking to and more importantly listening to people from all walks of life, disciplines and beliefs it strikes me that there is a right time to move on – when you are ready and most often when you have exhausted all other avenues and quite often feel exhausted yourself. Moving on is what we need to do; drawing a line over what’s happened before and discarding all intrusive and often negative baggage. This is true for many aspects of our lives and so true for the world of work.
We are shaped whether we like it or not by our upbringing, others’ expectations of ourselves, financial concerns, or lack of; family, friends, colleagues, teachers, managers to name but a few. Before you know you are on a road to where you are expected to travel, one that may not be of your choosing or which makes you feel fulfilled or even happy. The thing is what do you do, especially when you have so many responsibilities and no time to think?
I guess the people whom I have met and have changed their lives, do so in the realisation that they just cannot continue as they are – they have to make a change often accepting consequences which are not so great to do so. However, it is a start and once you identify what you want and where you want to go, then be it difficult you will succeed.
Moving forward starts with honest evaluation of where you are and what you want – don’t be swamped by feelings of negativity because you are not where you want to be; don’t blame others, even if they have affected your decisions in the past; take control. Investigate how long it will take to get where you want to go and what you will need – training, education, money, mentoring, a chance and then look for where you can receive this support – someone somewhere will be able to help you with a part of you plan. Then the hard work starts, and it will not be plain sailing, so do factor this in instead of thinking each and every hiccup is a failure.
I have met to name a few – a Social Worker now doing Care, however they have a degree in Sports and Psychology – they are now working and studying to get in to s Sports Psychologist role…a school cook who loves baking – she is taking amazing cake and patisserie classes to then start a business, build it up and one day have her own café …a teacher who is know learning to be a counsellor, undertaking charity work to increase her experience…a dentist returning to medical school to train in specialist facial surgery and cancer work….a sports mad teenager, working in Costas and just enrolled on a part time coaching course; an Administration Manager – Complaints expert, now taking a year out volunteering abroad to then return hopefully to a role within a non for profit organisation…an IT whizz but unappreciated as he is on the autistic spectrum, now engaged in learning cyber security; a mum with three children under 5, planning ahead, taking a course to be a Teaching Assistant with a view to becoming a teacher when her kids are older; a burnt out executive, delivering food for Waitrose as they take time out to assess what they want; a lady abused at work for ten years – she just walked and has given herself 2 months off – that’s all she can afford financially to reassess and rebuild her confidence…the list goes on.
So, my advice, go for it, but don’t pressurise yourself; you will do it when the time is right – you just cannot force it. Good luck.
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