The things that scare you … and the solutions
The Momentum Files #11
Manage career transition with less fear.
Career transition can be scary - not Michael Myers scary - but scary enough to hold you back from taking actions that can lead you to better and more fulfilling opportunities.
This topic is a big one with my coaching clients (you are not alone!) because redirecting your career forces you to be vulnerable and opens you up to rejection. Pretty heavy stuff.
As a Halloween treat of sorts, I’m sharing my list of the Top 5 Fears you’ll face during times of career transition – and the solutions that help keep you moving forward.
1. FEAR OF CHANGE & UNCERTAINTY
Who hasn’t resisted change? It upsets your routine, introduces unfamiliarity and pushes you straight out of your comfort zone. It brings uncertainty which instantly makes transition feel more difficult. Even if you don’t like your current career role, it’s at least something familiar to you. You know it. Your commute, your processes, your obligations. Shifting into something new can leave you stifled and bring up fears that keep you frozen in place.
✅Here’s what helps: Change is inevitable, so let’s try getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Planning ahead, strategizing and having contingency plans in place help get you unstuck and back to what feels good faster. Make a list of the things you’ve done to deal with past changes (even the small ones!). How did you manage? What did you do to make things less emotionally triggering? What specific steps did you take?
2. FEAR OF REJECTION
The job search process is an invitation for rejection. This often leads to self-doubt and repeated second-guessing about your experience, skills and abilities.
✅Here’s what helps: Keep a realistic mindset and know going in that rejection is simply part of the process. Remember that it’s not about you, it’s about the fit. And while it’s hard not to take rejection personally, reminding yourself that mutual fit is the goal puts a little cushioning in the mix and helps soften things so that you can go easier on yourself and keep at it.
3. FEAR OF ROCKING THE BOAT
Staying put can be so much easier than changing things up, right? If you tend to go with the flow or don’t get the support and encouragement to reach for something new – you know exactly what I mean. Keeping a low profile and just going along for the sake of going along feels safe and familiar. But finding your voice, sharing your ideas and stepping into the spotlight is how you discover exciting new opportunities.
✅Here’s what helps: Practice finding ways to express your ideas. Speak up at a meeting, reach out to a new connection or pursue a new project or opportunity. You’ll build confidence and start to become comfortable with a little boat rocking.
4. FEAR OF BEING JUDGED
Step into something new, and you might find that it’s those closest to you who can be triggered by your change and become your harshest critics. Like you, they take comfort in familiarity, so when you change things up, it can throw them for a loop. If your change leads to others questioning your actions (why are you doing that, why are you starting a new job, why do you want to move, etc.), remember that this is their mindset – their worry – not yours.
✅Here’s what helps: Find your tribe! These are the people who support and encourage you. They can be friends, family members, your business coach, people in your network – those who are on your team and have your back as you step into unfamiliar territory. Connect with people who have done what you’re about to do and can offer great advice. And consider giving those who initially question you the chance to take it all in and then support you. Change can be tough for all of us!
5. FEAR OF FAILURE
The big one! This fear can paralyze your progress and stop you from realizing your true potential. If you don’t try, how will you ever know how successful and fulfilled you can be?
✅Here’s what helps: I know it’s so much easier said than done, but here it is: Don’t let your fear of failure win. In fact, I recommend that you fail more frequently. Practice. The more you do it, the better you’ll be able to reframe your thinking and see failure as a challenge, as a learning opportunity, as a journey. This will help you move forward in a more positive way and ensure that you won’t be left wondering – could I have achieved that success if I’d really tried?
Don’t let fear paralyze your progress.
Use these solutions to push through fearful moments and become more comfortable and confident.
I’d love to hear from you! Reply and tell me how you manage your biggest career transition fears.
To Your Success!
Cindy Haba
P.S. Making your way through a professional transition is so much easier with a trusted ally to guide you! I’m offering you a FREE call to candidly discuss your goals and how I can help you navigate change like a pro. Click here to book!