As we develop in our careers it can be easy to get swept up with the action and the projects and the progress and before we realise two years have gone by. I think it is really helpful to build pauses into working years - every three years works for me, but you should find your own rhythm. A pause can help avoid the treadmill approach and allow you to be considered about your next move and any steps you need to put in place to make it happen.
I would encourage you to invest in yourself and don’t wait for your employer to do it for you. This might mean courses, books, podcasts, a day for thinking, talks with a friend, working with a coach or mentor - or whatever works for you and starts you thinking about your career.
Set aside some time to ask yourself important questions:
- Does my role still serve me?
- What am I enjoying and not enjoying?
- What are the points of joy and the points of stress?
- Is it ideal for me now? And for how long?
- What might be next?
- Have I felt envy of other people’s moves or noticed other job ads with interest?
- Consider what would happen if you were made redundant - what would you do?
- If money was not an issue what career would you do?
If your role still feels right then great, but if any of these questions raised interesting answers then allocate some time to think about them more fully and see where it leads.
Idea
When did you last pause?
Action
Answer the questions above and note your answers - revisit them a week later, anything you need to action or consider further?
Reading
Trinny Woodall - Fearless podcast
Martha Beck - Finding your own North Star
Jen Carrington - any of her excellent support - https://www.jencarrington.com/
Photo by Simon Wilkes on Unsplash