Pivot To A New Career

Pivot To A New Career was inspired by the use of the word pivot everywhere we turned in 2020. It has become the new word for "change". We heard about big businesses "pivoting" to deliver their services digitally, we observed traditional office-based businesses embracing the concept of home-working as their governments outlined plans for lockdown and we saw individuals seek out new opportunities to make money in the absence of a regular wage. The side hustle became the main income generator!

The interesting thing about the word pivot (as used throughout 2020) was that it was a response to circumstances perceived to be outside of our control. As a society we felt compelled to "change" to survive - and a lot changed. Clearly, there is a lot to learn here!

In the UK there was a brief period between lockdowns when it looked like the full impact of the imposed changes was not being recognised and many businesses and individuals rushed back to their familiar environments, hoping to put the nightmare behind them. They were forgetting the first fundamental of change - an elastic band, once stretched, never returns to its original shape. Pretty soon, it was clear that the opportunities to pivot during lockdown were too significant to ignore. Companies reviewed their spend on estates and wondered "what if we continued to run our operations with less building space?" Teams looked at their efficiency and wondered, "what if we only jumped in a car to attend a meeting once a month?" But what about individuals? What have we done to pivot? The answer, for some, is very little.

Thankfully, it's never too late to do the right thing. For some of you reading this today, this is exactly the right time to consider a completely new career. Take a quick listen to this week's video to hear why. Pivot To A New Career.

Pivoting To A Second Career

The winds of change often blow you onto the right path.

It's amazing how many things are better in life, the second time around. The majority of new small businesses are started by reluctant entrepreneurs who suddenly discover a passion for business and relish the independence. Second marriages are often enhanced by the knowledge and experience gained from an initial union forged from the "mad rush of youth"! Second careers are usually more fulfilling as we "choose" them more deliberately and with an understanding of what drives us.

So what holds us back?

The fear of change. We allow thoughts and feelings of uncertainty to cloud our judgement and think that not feeling ready is a sign that we are indeed, not ready. In fact, these feelings are often little more than the nerves we feel when doing anything for the first time. As I mentioned in Let's Talk Wellbeing, the secret is to get the butterflies in our stomachs to fly in formation. Have a quick read of that blog for 5 simple ways of recalibrating and overcoming feelings of fear and anxiety.

We are all waiting for the circumstances to be perfect and, in reality, things are only perfect in hindsight. Looking back we can see how various incidents lined up to propel us in a particular direction, but in the middle of it, it is very difficult to see what is happening. Whatever you are considering changing in your life, now is the perfect time. 

I hope that was of some use to you. How do you feel about your own career right now? Are you energised or exhausted by the thought of another year in your current job? Do you wish you could make a breakthrough? Why not take this quick quiz to find out your Career Contentment score and get some personalised feedback on where the next phase of your career could take you - Career Contentment Quiz