Top 3 tips to turn career indecision into career decisiveness

It may have seemed much easier to make a career decision a few decades ago where career options were quite clear cut, but the constant change of the internet has meant we've adapted our behaviour. The economy went into recession and back to growth again, meaning job titles such as 'Happiness Architect' (where you might have to Google to discover the meaning) exist.

Multiple options has positives and negatives, particularly difficult for those who find it difficult to make decisions. Below we’ve outlined our top quick tips you can implement straight away:

1. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by too many options

- Set a timer for two minutes and write down between two-four jobs you would like to try out.

- Look inward rather than outward. When we look out and see how many job options there are, it can be very daunting. Looking inward and focusing on yourself, your needs, values and skills, is a good place to start if you aren’t sure where to begin as you’ll better understand what you really want.

- If you prefer not to start with yourself, then try speaking to people whose jobs you’re curious about, so you can get a better understanding if the job is in line with your values.

2. If you have a habit of catastrophising (seeing only the worst)

- Practise trusting yourself. Motivational author Louise Hay said, “Those with anxiety tend to be out of rhythm with life." Try to talk to yourself realistically and start the process of trusting yourself again. You have trusted yourself to progress this far in life and that is something worth celebrating. 

- Don’t forget to see the possible benefits of your options. Challenge your negative thoughts with, “What are the best case scenarios here and how will I feel if I achieve my goal?”

3. How to overcome procrastination

- Remind yourself that for many career decisions, these decisions usually aren’t for life. Many people change course. In fact, statistics show people change jobs on average 10 -15 times throughout their lifetime. Increasingly, being able to be flexible and versatile in your career management can be an asset, as well as developing a resilient attitude.

- Separate your goals from short, medium to long term. It’s important to be realistic with what you can commit to in order to make the change, but to make it easier for yourself, set manageable and realistic steps along the way. You’ll be be able to measure your progress and celebrate yourself for each step taken and goal achieved.

It can be helpful to look at the pathway into the work you want to do and have an action plan of your progress, get a friend to keep you on track and act as your support buddy.

And finally, learn to love yourself or even accept yourself. We can be hard on ourselves when going through new changes with, “I should be doing this, I should be doing that, if only I was…”. This is the critical self-talk that sometimes deters us from actually doing anything. You don’t need the inner critic, it’s time for a new groove. Put on some feel good music, get out your lovely notepad and pen, or iPad, and start writing out your possibilities.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Life Coach Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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