Switching Careers is Common and Normal
I came across a Job Bank site the other day that stated that "Most Americans switch careers three times in a lifetime". I can't vouch for this site, but still found the statistic interesting. It goes on to list the average number of years people spend in certain professions. I started wondering why this was the case.
I've already met my quota of three careers. How about you? What is it that makes switching careers so common? It's easy to say that maybe people are just unhappy with their current jobs. But, I think it's deeper than that.
Our Personality changes based on our experiences, the people we meet, the relationships we have, and the information we receive from the Universe via our Spirit. We are just curious by nature. There's no way for us to know everything there is to experience in the world unless we try it.
I can remember being a freshman in college and the first question that people would ask each other was "What's your major?". It was a defining factor similar to the way people ask each other, "What do you do?" once they are already a part of the workforce. During freshman orientation, my advisor was meeting with a group of us and discussing what to expect out of college life. He asked each of us what our major was. We went around and said our major - everything from business administration to biochemistry.
The last girl in the group said that she was undecided. You could almost hear a pin drop. Then the advisor chimed in and said that she's better hurry up and pick a major because it's more difficult going through college without one. Mind you, this was our second day!
I've never understood all of the pressure that is placed on college students to know what they want to be "when they grow up". After all, they haven't experienced much of life or the real world. How would they know?
It would be nice if there could be an exploratory year after high school. Like a year-long, paid job shadowing where you could try out a different career each month. It would be even better if we could do this periodically throughout our careers. Until that happens, we have to settle for exploring different careers based on how our Spirit guides us.
Taking a Break Brings Clarity
A few days ago, I was trying to figure out how to solve a problem with a client's Web site. The funny thing is that I remembered solving a similar problem not too long ago. For some reason that answer just wasn't coming to me. At first, I focused hard on the problem. I looked through e-mails, past documentation, and searched online. It was frustrating running into dead ends.
So, I decided to take a break and clear my head. Almost like magic, within a few minutes, the solution came to me.
It's funny that the exact opposite of what you expect can bring results. I find that focusing too hard on something actually seems to push it away. Now, I was just trying to solve one issue. Imagine if you were trying hard to reach a goal. I'm sure you've been in a situation where you wanted something so badly that you did everything you could to make it happen. It could be a raise, a promotion, one new client, or several big contracts.
We can all get so obsessed with our goals that the Universe almost says, "You don't trust that this can happen. So, I'm just going to wait until you do." As a result, your dream job or client or business feels further and further away.
If you just relax and give in to the process, this allows the Universe to work the way it does best. It can get through the clutter of your mind and give you answers. Actually, the Universe is always trying to give you answers. It's just that your mind can be so preoccupied with things that you can't even hear the answers. This is why taking a break is so meaningful when driving toward your goals.
If you're looking for a fun way to take a break, check out the The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. All of us are artists in one way or another. We all have something that we are creating - ideas, products, or services. She talks about The Artist Date as a way of getting your creativity to flow. For one of my artist dates, I went miniature golfing by myself. Although I got some strange looks from others wondering where the rest of my party was, I had fun taking that time to clear my mind.
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About the Author
~ Leila Johnson, Founder of Spirit Driving Institute and Creator of the Drive. Align. Shift. Program
~ author of Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel
~ co-owner of Data-Scribe, digital branding specialists for professional service firms
~ wife, mom, foodie
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