Advice for making a career change
I don’t like change. I really, really don’t.
I like staying comfortable and safe and cozy right where I am. Change takes me awhile to grasp, accept and understand. This is obviously not the most ideal way to manifest your dreams and take charge of your goals. As an introvert and homebody though, it can be challenging to go out there and make things happen.
I’ve come such a long way in the past few years. I’ve learned how to embrace my true nature more, how to be less hard on myself, and how to balance “going for it” and still honoring my needs and comfort.
If you resonate with being an introvert too, then you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
That being said, my career has taken so many turns in the last few years. It has truly been a source of major anxiety for me at the same time as being my biggest source of growth. I’ve had to ask myself really hard questions about who I am, how I want to show up and what I want to offer to the world. I’ve been able to take the time to reflect deeply and carve out space just to be my homebody self. I started my online business in 2020 and through that I started to build up the courage to keep going and expand into what I am truly interested in. Which is natural skincare. This week I start my new position as a naturopathic doctor at Prema Wellness, with a focus on holistic skincare from the inside out. I also start school to become a clinical aesthetician this week. Pretty insane how this all lined up, but it has been exactly what I was looking for. At the same time, I’m basically throwing myself out there really suddenly and I’m both excited and terrified all at once.
I think we are taught that we need to pick a career, stick with it, probably lose our passion for it and then at some point retire and move on. That never has sat well with me. I want to be fulfilled by what I do. I want to be excited to go to work. Every job has its downsides of course, but overall I want to filled up, not be drained, and constantly waiting for the next weekend. I also want to create something that is ME. Not someone else. Not what I think I’m supposed to do. Not what others expect of me. I want to create my life rather than just live it. Which means it’s going to continue to look different at every single step I take.
If you have thought about making a change in your career (or maybe you already have), then I hope you know that you are a warrior. Not many people have the courage to really figure out what it is they want out of their career and then do the hard work to adjust that path. It’s scary. You don’t really know what you’re doing. You don’t know if you’re making the best decision of your life or one of the biggest mistakes (though I believe that everything happens for a reason). It’s hard not to question your path and wonder if you’re doing the right thing. It’s hard not to wonder what people might be thinking of you. It’s hard when you don’t see your career path/interests reflected in those around you. Maybe you’re choosing a path that’s never been taken before. Or maybe you’re choosing something that you’ve seen done many times and are worried maybe you’re picking something too saturated.
I’ve literally had all of these thoughts. And time and time again, I have to come back to myself and really hone in on why I am making this shift.
For me, it’s not just about my career and what I want out of it. I know what I want my life to look like. I have a strong vision of that. I don’t really always know the “how” part, but I can feel what it feels like to have that vision come true. That is what I connect to when I step out again into the scary world to chase my dreams.
When I question whether it’s the right choice or not, I remind myself that literally none of us know what we are doing. Every single decision you make today could be considered as wrong/right, depending on who you talk to. But all that matters is if it is right for you at this moment. We change so much over the course of our lifetime. We will never truly know what a future version of ourselves would think of this moment. But we do know what we think now. And if you feel in this moment that this career switch (or adjustment, or any change really) is the right one for you in your heart, then you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.
Yes, things may not work out. I mean, we take that risk with every single choice we make. But the alternative is to not make any of those “risky” decisions and stay right where you are.
And I know for me, staying right where I am is not an option anymore.
I’ve tried so many things and I’ve watched my heart take a beating every time I thought things “didn’t work out”. But truly, I am so grateful for every single experience. I’ve learned that I have a very strong sense of self-awareness. Which means I can constantly check in with that as often as I want. And that has really helped me.
Am I still unsure about how this will go? Absolutely. But one thing I can count on is that my heart will give me a reality check if it needs to.
The rest, I just gotta go out and try.
So, give it your all. Jump in no matter how scared you are.
Remember to always always come home to your heart and check-in with how you feel. Don’t get sidetracked by other people’s judgments, thoughts, fears, opinions, assumptions. None of that is yours. It’s alllll part of their own stories.
Your story is the one you are living.
And my goodness is it worth living.
You’re a trailblazer, my love. I hope you know that.
xo.
Khadij