Career Identity: Where to Start (AKA where to go now)
One of the questions I was asked back in October was wondering where to start. Because often, all those previous contagions I talked about last week have been building on top of each other, preventing any chance that you can see the root of the weed that needs to be yanked out.
You’re in luck, because as a master gardener, I can spot the weeds in the beautiful garden of your life and work fast.
How about let’s start here, my dear friend…
Cultivating self and group awareness (of the body, emotions, and cognitive patterns) are the powerful foundational components necessary before you make any career pivot. If not, I’ve seen too often it’s from one frying pan to another.
How it often starts with clients at a crossroad is some version of:
“I have to know if I should stay or leave my job.”
“I’m ready to rage quit.” (Been there, don’t do that, please, let’s talk first).
“I can’t quit because of (insert life reasons aka insurance, etc), so now what?”
“I have no idea what else I would do, and I can’t keep doing this.”
Through our working directly together, it morphs to something more long-lasting because we clear out the weeds.
We move into: “I have to change my relationship to my work and set up value-aligned boundaries with those I work with.” (And sometimes you still pivot, and other times you choose to stay. The logistics come with greater ease once we shift into the transformation.)
AND THEN, friend, we move deep into “Who am I if I’m not this?”
That is the question-and-answer that directs where you start your pivot.
Your career identity is the “story” you tell yourself about who you are in your work, what you are responsible for (what you’ve decided determines your worthiness), and what you must do to succeed to finally rid yourself of imposterism.
All of that lives in the same space as group dynamics, with systemic pressures and stories we tell ourselves that other people have about us, all feeding into it. If left unexamined, it can unconsciously dictate your energy, decisions, and sense of self.
But if you start observing your body and your stories, you can begin to disentangle by asking yourself:
Which reactions and rules that you’ve been following belong to the group, the culture, or the system?
Which stories have you absorbed about your responsibilities, limits, or potential?
Where might your energy and attention be better aligned with what truly matters to you?
What could be possible for how you live your daily life, including work, if you opened up some space to breath?
Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging here for long. I’ll share a favorite client-only practice with you next week.