Knowing When it’s Time to Change Course – 3 Signs You’re Ready

Where are you in your career journey??You may have reached a point in your career where, despite your daily grind and efforts in personal improvement, your current situation has not improved or, worse yet, has taken a nosedive to the netherworld. If you are in this position, accept that it may be time for you to change course. You’re in the driver’s seat of your career, and you owe it to yourself to improve your situation. But you are also conscientious, caring, and committed to doing what is right. So, how will you know for sure if it’s time to pack up and search for greener pastures? Watch for these three indicators that you are ready to move on.

1. You have nothing left to prove to yourself.

When you have exhausted all of your options and feel you have nothing left to prove to yourself, this is evidence that it may be time to move on. ?While enduring a very difficult work season,?I hope you were able to tap into your personal power during one or more challenges that have come your way. Perhaps you discovered personal power through your assertiveness at work and gained the ability to say no when your plate was overflowing. Or you did everything you could to be transparent and stay connected to your manager and peers. Maybe you learned how to collaborate with a difficult manager (work driven, whippersnapper, visionary, absent, or the dreaded micromanager). You survived seasons of both work famine and work overflow, navigated a continuous work culture and corporate dysfunction, and more.

Through all of that, you have become a stronger person. You have grown more comfortable with yourself and have developed a healthy sense of self-love that you might not have discovered otherwise. You have done the inner work that allows you to walk with confidence and a sense of pride that makes you feel two inches taller. Now the only thing left to prove to yourself is that you are not stuck and that brighter days are indeed ahead of you.

2. You believe you are moving toward something better.

What keeps people stuck doing what they don’t want to do? I believe that, more often than not, our own limited thinking entraps us. Our brains do a pretty good job of trying to keep us safe, even if it means being miserable in our jobs. After all, our brains are hardwired to protect us. After two million years of evolution, the primal part of our brain still serves to protect us from what we fear. Interestingly, however, it does not do the best job at questioning our fear and assessing whether the object of it is life threatening or not. Your brain may signal danger if you leave your “tribe” because it fears the unknown. (Beware of the saber-toothed tiger on the other side!) So, although that primal part of our brain still provides an important function, it doesn’t always serve us in the best way. Our thinking is limited to the safety and security of what is known to us despite the hardship associated with it.

Thus, we are responsible for reprogramming our brains with new beliefs. We need to develop and hold the belief that something better is in our future, just around the corner. Hold on to the belief that a company is out there that will appreciate your talents and the value you will offer them. Believe that you are attracting what you are putting out into the universe—abundance, enthusiasm, and purpose. Put your faith in these things, and believe that the Universe is conspiring for your good. Someone out there is looking for you!

Recognize that by pursuing a new job or career, you aren’t running away from something that isn’t working for you. Rather, you are running toward something that is more in alignment with your core values, principles, and beliefs. The only thing you have given up on is a job that is no longer serving you or allowing your light to shine the brightest. You have a unique purpose to fulfill, and now you are putting yourself in the right position for the world to receive all the gifts you have to offer. If you’re tempted to feel bad because people at your company are not happy with you, resist that “quitter” mindset. You are not a quitter. You ran a very difficult race and hit your finish line. Be at peace knowing that your reward is on the other side.

3. It feels right in your spirit.

The final sign that you know it is time to leave is that it just feels right in your spirit. When we make big decisions in our lives, overanalyzing the facts is easy. We can play what-if scenarios that keep us feeling stuck. What if I leave and things are worse on the other side? What if this new opportunity is not as glamorous as the job description? What if I end up on a sinking ship with no life preserver? We can spend so much time in our heads that we lose sight of our own intuition.

I believe God speaks to us through our intuition. Regardless of your beliefs about God or the Universe, our intuition is a powerful sense and looks out for us at all times. This is something that cannot be explained through head knowledge. Instead, intuition is a feeling that pushes us toward something or cautions us to pull away. So, be cognizant of that inner guidance when thinking about your next move. And if moving on feels right, honor that feeling, and let it guide you to where you need to be.

Appreciate where you are in your work journey and accept that change is good. And when you reach the point where you have nothing left to prove to yourself, you believe you are moving toward something better, and are validated by your inner guidance, recognize that it is time to change course.

Author: Ryan Walter, ACC, PE

Follow me @ Rethinkwildly.com

I am a certified professional life coach and help engineers and other professionals navigate the human challenges of work. If there is any area of work or life that I can assist you with, please do not hesitate to schedule a discovery call with me on my booking calendar.?Free Consultation Call - ReThink Wildly