What do you do if your career is filled with uncertainty and you need to stay motivated and positive?

It's often said that there are only two guarantees in life: taxes and death. Everything else changes - embracing this perspective, we shouldn't be surprised by shifts or the necessity for adaptation. To navigate change effectively, we must maintain a proactive stance, stay informed about developments within our organization and industry, continually learn, and enhance our skills. Change is how we evolve and improve, shifting our response from anxiety to excitement.

Instead of defining your goals in terms of job titles or level X in company Y, you should think of you target in terms of the things you want in a future role. For example: "In ~ 5 years I want to be managing a team, with reasonable autonomy over 'my scope' in the larger organization, enough direct reports to be be directly involved in talent management, I want to have accreditation Z and have moved from my specialist engineering discipline to a more general engineering management role." With a goal like this it is easier to assess the changes and uncertainty coming at you and decide which ones may be an opportunity to advance this career goal.

This is a somewhat odd topic to place in Change Management so I suggest people look elsewhere. While the techniques in changing companies and groups can absolutely be insightful in terms of individuals and how they deal with uncertainty most of the tools are not designed to be of use in helping individuals

If you are a person who has got a higher degree of uncertainty avoidance, then changing career path is the only way out. But if the degree is low, then you are the person who would embrace and see the uncertainty only as a challenge. In which case, the person could be a quick learner, comfortable taking risks, etc.. Having said that, it doesnt mean people with higher degree of uncertainty avoidance aren't very capable of facing challenges. They could be great planner with perfection.

When facing career uncertainty, staying motivated and positive is vital. Focus on what you can control, setting short-term goals and prioritizing self-care. Seek support from mentors, a career coach, peers, and networking groups for guidance and perspective. Embrace learning opportunities to adapt and grow professionally. Cultivate resilience by reframing challenges as opportunities for growth. Stay flexible and open to new possibilities while maintaining a positive mindset, knowing that resilience and persistence will pave the way to success.