Investigating the landscapes of personality. How to tackle career transformation.

"Midway along the journey of our life

I woke to find myself in a dark wood,

for I had wandered off from the straight path.

How hard it is to tell what it was like,

this wood of wilderness, savage and stubborn

(the thought of it brings back all my old fears),

a bitter place! Death could scarce be bitterer.

But if I would show the good that came after it

I must talk about things other than the good."

• Inferno, vol I of the Divine Comedy, Dante

The utility of positive affirmation

To better understand who we are, the landscapes of our personalities invite us to research our personal histories, and emotional shrapnel, which creates an intriguing bibliography with its reliance on past and material culture. For all we can see, there is a river of experience and events, which sometimes do not add up into a logical trajectory. Personal bibliographies have no categories because to catalog one's self is to discriminate against one's best interests, thus creating pigeon holes and glass ceilings. Building a solid career is much more than changing jobs. It is about rationalising our motives, understanding what drives us, and doing what we do best for the greater good.

Were Freud alive today, he would tell us that a career transition constitutes a form of psychoanalysis that starts at a specific moment in time and space. Indian masters would add that this moment you are embarking on is unique and sacred. There is no one career path and many options often present themselves simultaneously. The Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges once wrote that "the moon in Bengal is not the same as the moon of Yemen". Having traveled extensively myself, I can concur that I too have been mesmerised by the night sky and the diverse perspectives it offers when I am on a journey.

Career decisions can sometimes put you in conflict with loved ones. However, our journeys are indeed unique and for some of them, we need to walk alone. Yes, we can have company and companions on the way, but in the final analysis, we must make our own choices. Sometimes they are not pretty and often they can be quite challenging.?

Belief in yourself is paramount. I should also add that seeking out the unfamiliar is not for the faint-hearted. You need to be convinced that the decision you make to work or study abroad is the right one for you. I can talk to you for hours about what it is like to sit on a cafe terrace in the pouring rain. The street is stripped of any gloss, and in the midst of stark tones, you find your epiphanies. So what changed? The weather is dreadful and yet your awareness in the present moment gave you a flash of your own awareness and it is beautiful because you are at home in your own skin.

From an analytical perspective, neuroscience technologies such as eye-scanning, facial recognition, and biometric readings give researchers a template on which to construct models that relate patterns of behavior to different emotional states. The risk is that these models create self-determined patterns of behaviour indicative of aggregate groups and not people as distinct individuals. There is a tendency to quantify in order to justify emotive targeting. Think about the classic example of Bombay Blue Sapphire. Remember when the brand once bragged that they were the most expensive gin on the market with the epithet, "But aren't you worth it".

In today's insanely social world, people use emojis to convey sentiment. Emojis represent a symbolic language almost similar to runes. Almost a third of global internet users are classified as emoji super-users. Studies claim that this number will double. As the use of these icons grows, people will leave a trail of breadcrumbs for others to follow. Emotional expressions then risk being scooped up by big data. Number crunchers love this way of interpreting things. Are we as gullible as marketing strategists suggest? No, because aggregates are not people. People do not always act in predictable and rational ways whether they are changing careers or satisfying their desires buying what they think they need to fill an empty hole in their heart.

The mystery of career transformation reveals layers of ourselves. Self-doubt from time to time is normal. Having questions is normal. Shifting and sifting your options is plebeian enough. When it comes to the big decisions, we counsel you to look into your heart and take a leap of faith to be who you are and not what anybody else would like you to be. This is what I have discovered on my journey and something I truly believe you too can discover on.

Bringing it back home

In closing, I'd like to share with you a quote by Lao Tzu. Let his words guide your key decisions:

"True perfection seems imperfect,

yet it is perfectly itself.

True fullness?seems empty,

yet it is fully present.

True straightness seems crooked.

True wisdom seems foolish,

True art seems artless.

The Master allows things to happen.

He shapes events as they come.

He steps out of the way

and lets the Tao speak for itself."

About The Author

Andrew Scharf is an Award-Winning MBA Admissions Consultant ?? Executive & Career Coach recognised for helping top performers, and aspiring professionals be all they can be. His?mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world at?Whitefield Consulting. Have a professional project you would like to discuss, send him a DM.