Identifying A Bold Career Move

It's worth asking once in a while whether the way you're living reflects the way you want to live.

If the answer is no, may I ask, gently and with due deference to your no-doubt logical decision making processes, when exactly you will start?

I often get my clients to identify a 'bold move' in the direction of their values, because they are often so stuck inside their heads that making no decision is beginning to look suspiciously like a decision.

Start by picking a value that reflects what you really want from life and then think about how it could be expressed more fully. What would it be like if you had a project which gave full expression to that value? The move can be anything at all, but it must be an action and not a thought.

For example, a common value amongst my clients is freedom. This may not be surprising when we're routinely told to try and fit our identities into a job 'role' which goes on to define most of our waking hours. So freedom is a value that often feels encroached.

How could you set up a project which lives the value of freedom more fully? The project would define the next steps to make this possible and the order in which they’re taken.

Some examples:

• You define freedom as 'creative freedom' and set aside every Saturday morning to work on a creative project. With a deadline of 3 months you will deliver the result to someone, somewhere, without apology.
• You define freedom as 'time freedom' and make a plan that will allow you to work 4 days a week, or 1 day from home. Yes, I am serious.
• You define freedom as 'physical freedom' and set yourself the challenge of walking the highest peaks in Britain next year.
• You define freedom as 'autonomy' and make a project to earn money from something that excites you. This can start small - for example selling cards on e-bay or to friends. But your plan could be scalable - for example making a website (very easy) or blog (even I can do that) to sell things from.

NOTE: what your mind will immediately give you is reasons why you can't do this. I encourage you to thank your mind - it's just trying to keep you safe bless it - and to carry on. You're in control of your decisions, not your thoughts.