How to make that shift in your life

The moment is calling to us. We simply need to listen and heed its call.

Rampant human burnout tells us that where and how we work is no longer serving us.

Deepening climate risks and human rights risks tell us that how we operate our world, and our economy needs to change massively, and change now.

No matter what futurists predict, I don’t think we know yet how AI is going to shift our world.

My conclusion?

The moment is calling on us to reset, to shift into ways of living, leading, and livelihood that nourish us rather than depleting us.

?The challenge?

How do we do this? How do we shift, especially when we feel like we are in the midstream of life, career and everything?

I have had hundreds of conversations with people who have come to me for advice on how to make a career shift. Often, these are people who want to either move into an impact-focused career, or impact professionals who want to move to a role with a bigger opportunity to make a difference. I have also had my own journey of shifting through educational choices and careers.

For people who are looking to shift, here is what I’d say:

1. Create the space: This is about creating the space in your own life, your own schedule and own energy to be able to even think straight to figure out what you do next. If you are burnt out or on the verge of burnout, addressing this burnout through rest, boundaries, professional support, is the first point of order. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup.’ If you’re not sure whether you’re burnt out, a quick internet search will lead you to several burnout inventories to help you reflect (I’m not a psychology professional so won’t suggest any specific one. I’ve simply found them useful for myself). Even if you are not burnt out, you will need some space. What that looks like is diverse and unique to each person. What’s important is that you have blocks of time in solitude – whether it’s for walks, daydreaming, resting, etc.For some people, creating space is about boundaries as well, of which I’ve seen two types. The first is simply creating boundaries to protect your time and space, for example, saying no to yet another event or commitment that drains you. The second boundary is the one most people miss. That boundary is to shut out what I call the ‘loving saboteurs.’ These are generally people who wish us well in life, but who, sometimes, with the intention of trying to protect us, encourage us to stay in the status quo. Sometimes, being aware of ‘loving saboteurs’ is enough and other times, you may want to be selective about when and how you share your plans to make your shift with them.
2. Do some ‘Housekeeping’:Finances and the fear of losing jobs, income, savings are a top blocker to people wanting to make a shift. This fear is so extreme that I’ve even seen it cripple multi-millionaires with negligible debt. Whatever a person’s financial state or stage in life, getting financially literate, choosing what matters most to you and building your financial plan accordingly is what I would consider a basic part of life. When looking to make a shift, financial plans, strategies, adjustments, etc. become critical.The other aspect of housekeeping that becomes critical is having the conversations you need, with yourselves, with partners, family, others, to shift patterns and dynamics as you need to release space and energy. I often find that people are pleasantly surprised at how much their partners and children step up to support them.
3. Get clear:So now you have the space to think, and housekeeping in place to make sure that the space you’ve carved out doesn’t get occupied by housekeeping worries.It’s time to get clear.Spend the time to do the thinking, the dreaming, the feeling into what next. Do the reading, have the conversation, go to the conference, take the course, write in the journal. Whatever it is, use the space you have created to plan and activate your shift.

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We often look around us to the people who have successfully made significant shifts and think either ‘I wonder how they did that,’ or ‘I could never be brave enough.’ The reality is, the more we lean into the space and the clarity, the easier it becomes for us to see the path and activate our shifts.

You deserve to have a life, livelihood, and?a way to lead that fills you up and regenerates you and others. I invite you to create the shift that will get you there.

#regenerativeleadership #resonance #regenerative #ecosystems #peopleandnature #withinourgeneration #burnout

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