How did I get here? And where do I want to end up?
A sailing ship without a clear direction will be blown into any safe harbour.
My career was a little like this, I'd get a phone call out of the blue - either from someone I'd worked with previously or been recommended by someone else, offering me a job.
It was flattering, and at the time the role would have had the necessary requirements - advanced job title and pay - and I'd be off to pastures new.
How did I end up here?
It wasn't until I'd made myself redundant in 2017 that I had the opportunity to think ahead - what was it I wanted to do?
The decision at the time felt so big - I suddenly had to make a decision about my career, and it felt overwhelming.
I felt like now I had to make a really 'good choice', thinking about all the things that I now wanted - my next move needed to 'solve' all of these things.
My next decision had to be aligned to my values, gave me joy, paid me enough, allowed flexibility to allow me to travel etc etc etc - there was a large shopping list of requirements and I just had to work out which of my options 'solved' all of these.
Navigating the uncertainty was tricky, I didn't have an obvious next step.
Direction limbo land
I was stuck, unable to make a choice just in case it was the wrong one, everything was put on hold.
It didn't just impact "Career" decisions, it was everything - maybe I should move from London? Should I still be looking at new houses? What about my holiday next Christmas...
Everything felt too big to make a decision on, I was in a decision limbo land and it was exhausting.
Taking back control of the wheel
If thinking about the ultimate destination can feel too abstract right now, think instead of the direction you want to travel in.
We're not quite sure where exactly in South America we want to land, but for now, we know we want to head in that general direction.
Two questions to ask yourself:
1) Where don't you want to go?
Often it is is easier to make a list of things that you don't want to - things relating to your current or recent situation which now are unpalatable. This could be related to location of role, management structure, style, values or industry etc.
Now you know what to avoid, we're heading in the opposite direction.
As you learn and explore more, it'll be become much clearer - when things start to push you off course, you'll feel it instinctively and you'll be able to say no to opportunities.
2) What are the things that you still enjoy?
You might be brilliant at managing people, but would you rather be 'doing the thing'? Are you interested in technology and drawn to a particular aspect?
I'm really good at Customer Relationship Management (CRM) which is basically setting up and writing email comm's, I'd been doing it for 15+ years - I kept doing the thing I was good at, not questioning if I still loved it.
List out all of your experience and skills, when you look at this list - what are the things that you actually enjoy doing?
Directionally Correct
Put some boundaries around what you are looking for, you'll be better able to spot a really amazing opportunity that may have previously passed you by.
I quit my job in 2008 to start an online business - it wasn't the right time for a bunch of reasons - so I decided to put that on pause and find a role that would help me learn the 'start-up ropes' - it needed to be/have:
Start-up, central London, strong online presence (at the time, this was still quite rare), and not in telecommunications/mobile as I wanted new industry experience.
A role came up for a Mobile phone/Telecommunications business - which I perhaps would dismissed straight away - but it was a Start-up, Online first, and central London - just off Oxford Circus - it didn't hit all my requirements, but I knew it was heading in the right direction.
Give yourself some space, take the pressure off from trying to pinpoint exactly where you want to land. Start small, immediate term - try something out, and it isn't quite right, make another choice that helps you get closer to where you ultimately want to be.
