Going For Passion Driven Career Change

Career change can be both an exhilarating and a daunting journey. It presents you with such a wide and diverse range of opportunities, not just for career change but also for great personal & professional growth.?

Once you decide you want to change careers there are so many questions to be asked about various industries, roles, interviews, resumes and so on. However, without hesitation, during discovery calls, I always advise that if you really want to make a successful transition to a career in which to thrive?then you really must do the inner work first. I talked about this in my previous article.

Without doing the transformational work on yourself, you’re highly likely to bump into the same old frustrations and disappointments that you experienced in your current or previous roles.?

One area that you can focus on is identifying what truly lights your fire. What excites and motivates you? What brings you totally to life? This is not head work it is heart work. You begin with going within to see what gets ignited, or in fact you do the igniting. Your passion isn’t the job or the career. It's what's within you and how you intersect, or connect with it.

Begin the amazing exploration to go within and find your passions - the things that truly make you buzz when you think about them. It really is possible to align your passions with career choices - you just need to get started with a few questions.?

Revealing Your Passions

The first step towards discovering what you would truly love to be doing is to delve into discovering what are the things or moments that really excite you, there you will find all manner of clues. You could, of course, take any number of self-reflection tests to ‘discover’ your inner passions and interest. While some will freely give you an outline report, others are likely to charge you – so do think this one through first.?

But really, you can start right here and now. One of the simplest, and much cheaper ways to do this, is to grab yourself some downtime, along with a notebook and a pen. Answer the following question:

If there were no obstacles, or financial restrictions what would your dream career be?

Bear in mind at this stage there may be way more than just one thing. For the sake of example, and these are a little extreme, you might want to become a mountaineer and guide, you could join a scientific expedition to explore wildlife in the Amazon jungles, or you might consider becoming an animal therapist. It can be as outlandish as you want it to be at this stage - the main thing is that you simply need to state it.

Not so long ago, I asked myself the same question and discovered I would work as an interior designer or an architect. Both of these area little different from working as a professional trainer, teacher, and coach! However, when thinking it all through and having researched the training, the business side of things, I concluded that I’ll probably save it for another lifetime as I’m really quite busy in this one. But of course, never say never, right!

Whatever your answer is to that question is, the next task, and this is where the exciting discovery begins, is to list any of the specific attributes, or aspects of that particular work that really appeal to you. For me a lot was about creating?or transforming something, a room, a space, a building. Working with transformation was the main appeal. I have to say though, when I reflect on my career today I think it’s very much about transformation. I help professionals transform career ideas into tangible realities, or shift from ‘stuckness’ into confidently striking out into uncharted territories.

So continue with your notebook and pen. Write down anything that comes to mind. Then you will need to start focusing on the why’s of a particular aspect, job, or role, or industry. For example, why does X light you up? Why does Z blow out your candle? Any number of ideas may arise.

Do this exercise without judgement. Notice what’s happening within. What changes when you think about a specific aspect? How do you feel when you imagine doing a particular job? It’s a bit like noticing the differences in how you feel when faced with doing your annual tax returns and booking a luxury holiday.?

What brings you a sense of joy and fulfilment. Look for patterns or recurring themes. Whether it's writing, helping others, solving complex problems, or creating something beautiful, pay attention to the tasks and the feelings that arise within you. These passions often hold the key to identifying career areas that resonate with you.

Develop Your Curiosity

As you continue this journey of discovering your passions and core interests, one thing you will need to develop is your curiosity. It’s now that you need all that simple curiosity you had once as a child. Where everything is interesting and exciting. At all times keep that curious inquisitive mind piqued. Notice as you go through your week, what turns you on and, of course, what turns you off. Jot things down in your notebook so you can refer back to them and add them to a list of things that make you light up, and things that dim your light

As you begin to embrace your curiosity, you might come across events, webinars, short courses, workshops and the like, that open up ideas you may not yet have considered. Sign up for them. Leave no stone unturned. Do what interests and intrigues you, if only to gain insights into new and totally unexplored areas.?

Combine Passion and Practicality

Passion is probably one of the essential ingredients in relation to motivation. However, it’s important to complement this with a reasonable amount of practicality. You need to be confident that the role or industry you’re considering has the potential to become a sustainable career.?So get researching. Explore industries or sectors that appeal or you feel align with your passions; evaluate the skills you have and any qualifications you might need. Run through this process as it will help you strike a balance between your passions and the practical realities, and where they can work in tandem, to bring out the very best that you can be. Keep your ‘noticing’ radar switched on. This will let you?know quickly if what you’re exploring actually aligns or not.?

Conclusion

Getting to the core of what your passions are is part of your transformative journey. It lays the foundation on which you will build a fulfilling and rewarding career change. By identifying the areas that are most important to you, by embracing curiosity, and evaluating the practicalities, you can create a career pathway that brings you joy, meaning, and a deep sense of fulfilment.?

Keep making those lists and taking time to reflect on what genuinely matters to you in a career.

It’s never too late to follow your inner wisdom or intuition. Your heart knows, and by following through on the processes, you will uncover your true calling.?

Reimagine your future, embrace the journey.

#DiscoverYourPassion #CareerTransformation #ProfessionalGrowth #PassionDriven

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-find-your-passion

https://www.slideshare.net/kcaprino/11-ways-to-uncover-your-passion-by-kathy-caprino-57192385