Shift, Pivot, or Quit - When is the RIGHT time?
As much as we are the creators of our lives, life also teaches us and throws us some curve balls we weren’t exactly planning for.
I bring up this topic today because I am not innocent to pivoting or switching career or life paths. Although I always knew I wanted to be in a supportive leadership position, I never in a million years identified myself as an entrepreneur. I never really thought of myself as an independent business owner until the opportunity presented itself.
When I started to really drop my ego, quit worrying what everyone thought about me, stopped looking to others for advice, focused more on my strengths, land let go of what I was supposed to be doing, so many other opportunities have opened.
If you are considering a career change or you are having one of those moments in your life when you “need a change,” below are 10 questions to ask yourself regarding a pivot or shift:
1. Why did you want to pursue this goal to begin with, and has anything changed in your life since you wrote your “original goals” list?
2. Have you been operating with too much information? There are too many people in your life telling you what you SHOULD or should not be doing. If so, clear the noise and listen to yourself. What do YOU want? What does success mean to YOU?
3. How are you measuring your progress? Often times we neglect to track our progress. Just because we are not reaching the goal as quickly as we want to, we might neglect to check in with our self and see how much we’ve changed or made progress towards the end goal. #babysteps
4. What is the risk If you keep going? If you are considering quitting, ask yourself what will you do with your time when you quit? What will you focus on next? What will you do with your time if you change directions?
5. What are you fearful of? What is holding you back the most? Are you holding yourself back from reaching the success you want? Are you living in a place of insecurity and feeling like an imposter?
6. Are you using a specific strategy and sticking with this or are you winging it? In a competitive marketplace, such as what we are experiencing now, gone are the days can you just hope and pray something just lands. No more winging it – you must stick with a strategy!
7. Can you objectively (non-emotionally) state why you are quitting? Are there specific reasons? We need specific reasons why you believe you should quit.
8. What would you do instead if you quit working on this?
9. What would you do differently next time?
10. Is it your ego holding you back from giving up? Are you worried what people might think of you if you switch directions?
If you feel like you need a change in your life, run through these questions, and be honest with yourself. You might just be a situation where the time is NOW that you need the change.
Let's do this!!!
Be well,
Ash
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Ashlee Klevens Hayes, PharmD, MHA
Career Expert + Interview Prep Coach
e: HELLO@RXASHLEE.COM
(SHE/HER/HERS)
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