Your Life. Your Way. ReDefined: Five Questions for a Successful Career Transition

Do you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? When you think about your upcoming day, do you experience feelings of dread? Are you snarky with people at work & at home? Well, you could be one of the millions of people who are either burned-out or just plain old miserable in their jobs. So, you've been googling career websites to see how best to take a leap into your dream job? Good! There are some excellent strategies all over the Internet. However, the tips I'm offering are quite a bit different and should be used to complement the more traditional steps to career change.

However, before we begin you must be willing to put your cell phone in a drawer along with your computer, ipad, ipod and any other device you may have. Yes! Unplug yourself. In order to be able to redefine yourself you need TIME -- time to reflect...time to take a deep dive into yourself. This is perhaps the most challenging step. If you go into withdrawal, don't fret. Take some deep breaths and your anxiety will subside. Then, go out and buy a notebook! Yes, a notebook. Actually writing things down increases the likelihood that you'll make the changes you want.

Five Simple Questions for Figuring out the Rest of Your Life

Question One
What really matters to me?

Think about what's important to you -- what do you value? Find some magazines. Pictures are a far superior way to explain your thoughts. Using pictures help you project your thoughts which are primarily image-based. Seeing pictures also helps you remember and internalize your goals. You retain only about 15% of what you hear and can recall about 60% of what you see. As you go through the magazines, tear out pictures that speak to these values. When you're done, review them and write down what themes emerge. If images of money are frequently chosen, then ask yourself, "What does money really mean to me?" It might be freedom, power, or security. Those are your values. Write these down in your notebook.

Question Two
Who are my heroes/heroines?

Who is your role model? The person you most admire and look up to? Write down the traits you most admire in this individual explaining why they are so admirable to you. How do you think these traits serve them in their chosen career? What similarities are there between what you admire in this person and your values?

Question Three
What do I bring to the table?

Who are you? Personality inventories abound but let's look at five basic traits:
• Openness (appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity & variety of experience),
• Conscientiousness (tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully and aim for achievement)
• Extroversion (outgoing & energetic, people person)
• Agreeableness (compassionate, cooperative, interested in social harmony)
• Emotional Stability (able to regulate emotions, calm, free from negative feelings/reactions)
Rate yourself on these traits 1 = low and 5 = High. Then ask three people you trust to rate you on these characteristics. After reviewing all of this information, using your notebook, write down your final rating on each one. Then compare these to your role model's traits. What conclusions can you draw about this information? Which of your traits has served you well in any or all of your jobs?

Question Four
What excites me?

Capture your passion! Write down three or four times in your life that you felt energetic, passionate and "in the zone." Can't think of any? No excuses. Think hard and find at least one. What were you doing? Who were you with? What was it about this experience that was so appealing to you? How can you transfer this experience to a work environment?

Question Five
How do I see myself?

Taking what you know about yourself, what's important to you, and what you're most passionate about, write an elevator speech (a pithy, persuasive description of what you want to do). This is typically delivered within the span of time that it takes for an elevator ride -- 30 seconds to two minutes. Once you are clear about your elevator speech, try a trial run with a friend and see what it sounds like out loud. Tweak it, massage it, do whatever you need to make it appealing to you. This is your VISION.

• Use it as the basis for research on other career options
• Assess your need for new skills or education
• Share your vision & network with other people
• Find a mentor
• Read as much as you can about career/jobs that come close to your vision
• Shadow people

We also recommend that you visit http://www.redefinemyself.com. Click on The Seminar and download an action plan. Find an accountability partner to keep you focused on your goals. You're on your way!

# # #

Based on the book Your Life. Your Way. Redefined. © 2010 by Dr. Barbara McFarland & Alta Bradford.