Let’s Face it - Making a Life or Career Transition Takes Courage!

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Noreen Butler, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

Are you at a point in your life where you’re feeling apathy and a lack of direction and just not sure what to do about it? Most of us deal with these feelings and thoughts at one time or another in our lives.

It is so easy to delay making significant changes in your life isn’t it? There are always so many considerations to make. We are all wired differently, but most of us tend to ‘over think’ things, which of course just makes it even more difficult to get started. There are many reasons why many of us do not want to face the challenge of making a big transition.

A life transition can sometimes mean a personal change, like wanting to move to a new city, or going back to school to learn a new skill, or making a career change. Whatever changes you want to make, I wonder why it is so easy to delay making these difficult choices. Deep in our hearts, we know the changes we want to make are for our own good.

Well, let’s get to the root cause of why many of us fall back into the same old routine time and time again. It’s of course FEAR!

FALSE

EXPECTATIONS

APPEAR

REAL!

It seems to be so simple to say it is fear that holds us back. Of course, we all know this, but it also takes courage and commitment to break through our FEAR. But guess what – the cool thing is when you break through your FEAR, you get to experience a new kind of FEAR – the cool kind!

FREEDOM – to experience life on your own terms, a whole new adventure

EXCITEMENT – to feel like you are a kid again, ready to take on the world

ACCOMPLISHMENT – to feel courageous as you break down those barriers that hold you back

RESULTS! – to feel so proud of yourself, as you see how capable you really are

Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to take that leap of faith into the unknown. I personally found myself avoiding certain changes in my life; and over time, I found that there was a cost to sticking with the status quo. I thought that I should share some of the reasons why I have procrastinated making changes at various times, and share a few of my own lessons that have helped me during times of transition.

Top 5 Reasons for Resisting the Transition

Personal Security – I told myself that I liked feeling secure and staying within my comfort zone and, everyone felt that way.

Financial Security – I told myself that I valued feeling financially secure, and there weren’t any other options available to me.
Fear of the Unknown – I told myself that if I was younger, I would have felt more courageous to take risks, but those days were over.
Analysis Paralysis – I told myself a million reasons why I could not move forward, and I would “over think” things to the point where I just felt exhausted and overwhelmed.
Lack of Time – I told myself that I just didn’t have the time or energy to start all over again to try something new.

As I look back on some of the reasons why I have resisted change, I now understand that I was making the best decisions that I could make at that time. I will share how I changed my mind-set from resisting my transition to exploring my mission!

Thoughts Are Just Thoughts – I had to really work on this one. Deep down I knew I had the power to change my thoughts, which naturally impacted my feelings. Once I listened to my feelings, which of course is my heart, I was on my merry way. I always think about my favorite childhood movie –

The Wizard of Oz, and I can hear Glenda saying, “You have always had the power my dear; you’ve had it all along!”

Time To Grow – No More Status Quo – I had to remind myself that it was costing me a great deal to not move forward, and I imagined myself ten years down the line, – whoa! Now that was really motivating – no more procrastinating!

One Step A Time – I knew that I needed to be reminded that one small change can make a huge difference! I also learned to celebrate my small accomplishments until they became bigger!

The Good Old Days – I reminded myself about the courageous decisions that I had to make earlier in my life, and how great it felt when I accomplished what I set out to do! Now that really motivated me too! I decided to start on a mission to experience those feelings again – NEXT STOP – COURAGE!

Time To Have Fun – After all of the fear I had experienced, I finally realized that I had to overcome fear and, not let fear prevent me from taking chances! I knew that I needed to get out of my head, have fun, and enjoy the changes that I wanted to experience. It suddenly became real for me; it’s fun and exciting to try something new!

Wow! Let me share how I redefined “FEAR” — Here is how I think of “FEAR” now!

My Freedom to feel Excitement leads me to Accomplish my desired Results!”

My latest breakthrough was to follow my heart to become a Certified Life & Career Transition Coach. I am so happy when I can help make a difference in someone’s life, and this deep sense of fulfillment aligns with my soul.

Like Dorothy, in the “Wizard of Oz”, I am on a mission to find more courage, gain more knowledge, and continue to expand my heart. I am thrilled with excitement, and I continue to look forward to meeting all of the wonderful people that will cross my path along the way.

Making a transition may be scary at times, but remember you have the courage inside of you to go on your fabulous adventure that awaits. You just have to believe it so that you can achieve it!

Best
Noreen