Reinvent Yourself in a
New Career
by Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
Some people reserve the
word "vocation" for religious calling. Contemporary career guides
encourage us to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives meaning
to a life, regardless of career. See, for example, Mark Albion's book, Making a Life, Making a Living.
Many people speak of being "called" to a career. There is a sense of
"inevitability," that, "I was meant to do this." Some say, "This feels
right."
Self-help books, career coaches and counselors are available to help
people who want to discover their sense of purpose. In reality, all any
of us can do is stir the pot: create an environment where vocation can
be discovered and grown.
The push for
reinvention can come from yourself or from external forces.
It can be more difficult to deal with losing a much-loved career that
gave meaning to a life. Sometimes the vocation can be taken away when a
job is lost or a market disappears.
Often, however, people feel no external push out the door. They just
realize, sadly, that they no longer love what they are dong. Or they no
longer believe their work has value. And, they ask, what next?
Reinvention does not
follow burnout.
Losing a vocation is not the same as "burning out." Burnout, a
well-defined psychological condition, results when people feel they are
giving more to their work than they are getting back. They begin to see
clients as ungrateful and undeserving.
Burnout requires healing: deeper personal relationships, creativity,
and time off. A lost vocation cannot be healed. It may return in a
different form but people must recognize that it is a real loss that
will be grieved.
Four steps to find your way forward
You probably can't go home again, but here are some ways to go forward.
First, create your own way to say good-by to your former life. Not
everyone experiences severe grief symptoms -- sleeplessness,
self-destructive actions, loss of appetite -- but if you do, see a
licensed therapist or grief counselor.
Second, begin to introduce new actions and activities into your life.
In the early stages, do not worry about finding a new vocation. Just
begin to act. You may want to keep a journal or embark on a creativity
program, such as The Artist's Way. You may enter a temporary
setting, such as the Peace Corps or a university degree program.
Third, honor what you lost. A part of you will always reside there. A
dancer-turned-business-student uses the discipline or dance to excel in
her studies. A teacher-turned-flight attendant can handle restless
passengers.
Fourth, realize you have a wonderful gift: the capacity to find meaning
in life and work. Begin working towards a new future, realizing that
one day you will be caught up in a new adventure.
Your new vocation will come as a surprise, perhaps when you give up
looking. It won't be the same but you will feel rewarded, happy,
fulfilled and stronger.
Click
here to begin reinventing yourself with the 21-Day Extreme Career
Makeover.