So the other day my little cousin stopped by after getting off from one of her many jobs. Like many college students, Ina juggles a full class load, plus a couple of side jobs here and there. As I watched her quickly change from her scrubs to her Walgreens uniform, and listened to her talk about how crazy busy her days are, I was taken back to my time as a student when I was trying to keep up with school work, regular work and the never-ending work of figuring myself out….No wonder Rihanna’s tune “Work, work, work” rings a bell or two…Anyhow…
“How do you keep up, Ina, you’re way too busy!”, I told her, as she looked at me smiling.
“It’s actually fun, I bring a different side of me to each job, and I’m never bored. Kinda like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing..”
Kinda like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, without the whole good and evil side that is…but with the perks of exploring her different talents, interests and different facets of her personality at…work! Or the freedom of bouncing back from whatever life brings at you, from moves across the country to ugly break-ups…How many of us can say we get to switch it up like this from the comfort of our cute cubicles?
What if you had the opportunity to get “unstuck” from a rigid, seemingly one-way career and instead be able to explore and experience your various interests in your career? What if the same career that tends to feel so static at times could offer you the opportunity to expand your horizons, express your many talents and cater to your many sides? What if you could re-invent yourself all throughout your career?
Ok, I hear you, we live in the real world here…Bills have to get paid, shoes bought, and (some shred) of sanity saved…When the mortgage’s due, ain’t no one exactly thinking about re-inventing anything else but your (slightly depleted) bank account, right..Yet, we also spend the majority of our lives at work; and the only thing worse than the thought of not being able to be all we can be for eight (or more) hours a day is never having dessert again…And who wants that?
Re-inventing your career is not just about deciding to quit your boring Big Corporate job to hike up the Himalayas. Or giving your notice to start your business, pursue your passion, or be a stay-at-home parent for a while. It’s not always about the big stuff. It can just be that you fell in love, fell out of love, got a divorce, or just found out you have six months to live. Or that you walking into work makes you want to hide under the sheet covers, or that everyone at your job just flat out hates you. I mean, life happens…
Whatever life throws at you or you get up and decide to do, here are three stages to doing your very own “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” thing at work, and re-invent your career in a way that ‘s best suited to you:
Stop and look around.
No, really, take a good hard look at yourself and where you stand in life and in your career. Is this where you expected to be at this stage of your life and career? Are you fulfilled and satisfied, or do grow restless by the day? Do you feel like there are still things you haven’t gotten the opportunity to accomplish? Where are you now, and where do you want to go?
The first step to a career, and by extension, life re-invention starts within. It starts with all those questions you really don’t want to answer, but have to face as some point or another. Those are the “tough” questions that let you know whether it’s time to do something, and change the status quo, or just ride the fantastic wave of success and fulfillment you’re on (in which case you can skip this post and go back to texting with Oprah).
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
After the first introspective stage where you stopped and took a serious look at where you stand, ask yourself this one question: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Believe me, the first time you utter the words, you’ll start imagining all kinds of executive meetings with Beyonce, and downing as much fried ice cream as your stomach can humanely muster…
No, but seriously, what are those things you’ve dreamt of doing in your career that you’ve never exactly had the guts to go for? For some, it could be asking for a promotion, raise or just telling your boss what you really think (let’s think about this last one some more, please). For others, it could be finally starting to write that book, or get going on that side hustle.
While it can be tempting to make grand projects as you answer this question, try and be realistic. The biggest mistake we make when re-inventing our careers is going too fast, too far away from their experience. It’s OK to go for an 180-degree change, but make sure you’re extra-committed and that you’re making gradual progress.
Sharing is caring!
Especially when trying to re-invent your career…Keeping your journey through career re-invention to yourself can hurt you more than it can benefit you. It can feel pretty lonely to start over, or branch out into something different, or go through a challenging life period with minimal support. If you have connections into the new field or business you may be going into, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for advice or even mentorship.
It’s also a great idea to test-drive your concepts and projects before launching into a new venture or career. Having different perspectives and opinions can help you clarify things in your head, and even come up with better ideas. You can even develop your own “re-invention narrative”, a quick synopsis you can use to explain why you’re making a career change.
However, be careful who and when you talk to other people. Don’t run the risk of looking flaky by sharing your plans if you’re not quite ready to commit . And if you can’t exactly trust the office’s Chatty Cathy, you can just chat about the latest Nordstrom sales…
Have you re-invented yourself in your career? How did you go about it?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
