cycle of career change

The Cycle of Career Change

With Bev Taylor at the

“The principles you live by create the world you live in; if you change the principles you live by you will change your world”

Blaine Lee

“Change comes more from managing the journey than from announcing the destination” William Bridges

The Cycle of Career Change You know how ‘the learned’ put o8en put together lists of: The Most Stressful

Life Events’? I saw one recently that rated “changing careers” as less stressful than -‐ “sex

difficul+es” -‐ and about as stressful as “a change in the number of arguments with spouse” -‐ and “having a mortgage over £60,000.”

BUT, It’s not true!!! Changing careers — or doing anything that changes your very idenKty, your

sense of who you are — is unbelievably stressful. But in the same way that recognising that almost every child will learn to walk by first crawling, then holding onto furniture and then by fall a lot we get to be kind to ourselves by recognising that there are some stages to making changes.

Knowing how change happens helps us get back up every Kme we fall just like our precious babies do when they are learning to walk.

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Understanding Change

I was talking to a bright, moKvated career woman the other day and she was nearly in tears when she was telling me how difficult it had been for her to make the career changes she has dreamed of.

And, she feels so stuck … life has got in her way – and they were important things – not just ‘procrasKnaKon type of things either!

I so wanted her to understand more about change -‐ I wanted her to know deep down inside that change could happen. I knew that it wouldn’t take all the pain and frustraKon away but I wanted her to know about the four most important elements in changing a behavior. I wanted her to know because aside from sympathy and understanding – Which we all need from Kme to Kme – knowing that struggling with change is a human condiKon – o8en helps us get back up – dust ourselves off – and try again! So here they are … just for you:



1.   We need to be ready to change – We have to gather together the resources and knowledge to successfully make a lasCng change

2.   We have to work on our innermost personal barriers to change -‐ Is there anything prevenCng you from changing – are you willing to change?

3.   We do need to expect to slip up – it’s in the slips that we can learn our most profound lessons. PLUS we need to discover what might trigger a return to a former behavior or belief?

4.   Most change takes Cme. From Cme to Cme we change instantly. That kind of change happens to individuals on only around 20% of the Cmes we try … that means 80% of the Cme … it takes Cme!

Most overnight successes were years in the making!



How do YOU deal with the 80% of longer term change?

There are two simple, but courageous ways …

UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF CHANGE &

BE WILLING TO CHANGE SOME OF YOUR PATTERNS!!!


Understanding Change And how do YOU do that … one way is to get to know the Cycle of Career

Change!

One of the best-‐known approaches to change is known as the "Stages of Change" model, which was introduced in the late 1970's by researchers James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. The Stages of Change Model has been found to be a consistently effecKve way of understanding how the 80% people make changes.

In this model, you will find that when you are on the 80% side of making change … then for change to occur, it will be happening gradually and that slipping back is normal – it’s not fun but it happens but we do get to learn and start again. In life, one of our tasks is to learn to fail well and it is no different in career change! SORRY!!!!!

THREFORE, BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF – YOU HAVE LESSONS TO LEARN!



The more you beat yourself up and don’t settle down to learn the lessons … the longer it will take … surrender to the lessons life is teaching you but DON’T SURRENDER to failure!

Don’t surrender to failure … but do this instead … Get to know where you are on the Cycle of Career change and begin to put

things in place so that you can cycle around and make the career change that you want.

Take a look at the Cycle of Career Change on the next page and then Ask yourself the quesKons on the page a8er that


1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance

6. Rooted and Grounded

7. Slipping Around



Where are you on the Cycle? 1.  I made my career change more than six months ago

2.  I have taken ac+ons to move me to my career change within the past six months.

3.  I am intending to take ac+on in the next month.

4.  I am intending to take ac+on in the next 4 months

5.  I am taking +me to build my confidence in my self and my new career

6.  Oh dear, I am all over the place

Answers on the next page!


Where are you on the Cycle? If no to all statements – Distancing

If yes to statement 4 – In 2 Minds

If yes to statements 3 and 4 and no to others -‐ Prepara+on

If yes to statement 2 and no to statement 1 -‐ Ac+on

If yes to statement 1 -‐ Maintenance stage

If yes to statements 1 and 5 – Rooted and Grounded & Maintenance

If yes to statement 6 – Slipping around & maybe Distancing


The Stages of the Cycle

Stage 1 – Distancing

During this stage, one of two things happen:

1) Life is so intense and complicated that you cannot contemplate any change – even though the job you are doing is driving you crazy. At this stage the ‘job’ has security.

Or 2) You don’t see that changing your career has anything to do with helping

you find your desKny. Others may tell you that you need to seriously think about changing your career. They say things like: You’re wasted there. You really need to believe in yourself more, etc. All this means that you can be perfectly miserable but you are also perfectly content to stay in your job – for a myriad of reasons.


The Stages of the Cycle Stage 2 -‐ In 2 Minds

Being in ‘2 Minds’ means that part of you is considering making a career change in a few months – or a year -‐ but you are sKll not sure – it’s a dream really. You may have a few niggles – your friends just might be right . Or life has senled a bit and you start to intensely feel how much you want out.

The problem with you when you are here is that as quick as the ‘I want to change’ thought comes into your mind another thought follows quickly – reminding you that you have bills to pay or you don’t know anything about starKng a business or you may not feel that you can possibly take a salary cut. It’s a very Kring place and later on the effects of being in Stage 2 can be quite demoralizing – this is when our memories become very elephant like – we never forget this stage. Unless we develop techniques to deal with the effects of it. At any given point, about 80% of us are in the first two stages of this model! YIKES!!!!!


The Stages of the Cycle Stage 3 – PreparaCon

This one ‘does what it says on the Kn’ -‐ a8er you decide you really do want a career change, you enter the PreparaKon stage.

At this stage you ‘get it’ – you take personal responsibility for the changes you need to make. You may start looking around for new work, part Kme work, a course of study to prepare you for the change over, you may hire a coach (or join a Career changing program!).

And, You start planning to take acKon. This is either a really exciting stage or a bit daunting …

depending on how many times you’ve tried to make the career change or depending on how many times it feels like life has thrown you off track.

Either way, be mindful of getting your prep really right, learn from past lessons, prepare for life etc. so you don’t have to go round again!


The Stages of the Cycle Stage 4 – AcCon In this stage you acKvely pursue the change you want to make. For example,

you actually start a course or you start working part Kme or you begin your dream career alongside your 9-‐5 job – or gulp! – you resign!

This stage can be around 6 months – it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. When someone is in this stage, others can observe that they are making an effort to break get a new job or change careers.

The AcKon stage has it’s dangers. You are very much sKll exploring and learning and you can be blown about with life’s circumstances. Unfortunately, only about 20% of us are in AcKon at any given Kme, but most programs to help us lose weight or increase exercise or change careers assume we are ALL at this stage of change and they actually also believe that we will go swi8ly into Maintenance – the next stage.

SomeKmes we do a lot of ‘acKon’ but not a lot of ‘internal changing’ (that’s not deliberate – it’s just our learning curve) – or we don’t complete all the changes we need to make in our acKon stage. And that can lead to ‘slipping up’ and starKng the cycle again.


The Stages of the Cycle Stage 5 -‐ Maintenance

When you reach maintenance, you have done amazingly well! For at least 6 months you have made the changes.

The changes that you have made are internal as well as external. You have successfully changed your mindsets and you think of yourself as an ‘entrepreneur, a businesswoman, an expert … you are on your way to success. It takes much less effort to remember that ‘you know something & that you really do deserve this kind of life’! Just like in the acKon stage – people see you acKvely gerng out there and achieving. Your main task at this stage is to prevent yourself from slipping (that’s stage 6!) into old ways of thinking and bad habits.

Maintenance has it’s dangers too! Old habits can come back/life gets in the way/we feel we must ‘slip’ into old ways of thinking and feeling (I don’t deserve success or I really am rubbish at this!) … work on mindsets to

avoid slippage.


The Stages of the Cycle

Stage 6 -‐ Rooted and Grounded

This is really a part of the Maintenance Stage in the original model but I felt it was so important to career change that I have added this stage to help you keep focused on what you need to do to ensure change.

Rooted and Grounded is about connecKng with yourself and learning from your mistakes, it’s about being kind and gentle with yourself, it’s about failing well. It’s also about keeping up mindfulness. This is the ‘internal’ growth part of your journey. It must not be neglected!


“Respond; don't react.

Listen; don't talk.

Think; don't assume.” Raji Lukkoor

The Stages of the Cycle Stage 7 -‐ Slipping Around

It happens! It’s normal! It’s frustraCng! But only if you let it be!

SomeCmes we stop doing what works! SomeKmes life comes up and hits us hard and we go back to what we know for sure – what’s safe! Slipping around people are feeling preny bad. They just don’t know what else to do. So, they end up losing confidence in themselves and the new business or the new life they want.

SomeKmes this stage is experienced more internally than externally – i.e. our ‘Rooted and Grounded’ self just loses the confidence and knowledge that it was learning and we end up doubKng ourselves and our desKnies.

It can also be characterized by behaviours as well. We stop keeping our books up to date, we over work ourselves, we are reduced to tears -‐ it’s o8en seen by ourselves as ‘weakness’ – and some so called friends and some members of our family like to point and say – see I told you so!

SomeKmes Stage 7 is only with us for a moment , a day, or maybe longer. What ever you do in this stage don’t give up and do remember that you will most likely be cycling around an emoKonal cycle while you figure it all out.

You may even shut down a bit … doing some ‘distancing’ in stage 1 of the cycle. Trust me it’s ok. It is only a stage – remember your roots and how you ground yourself. Be gentle with yourself.


There are 3 myths about change Myth 1: Change is easy. You decide to change and then you "just do it."

Fact: Change is not that simple. Most of us will "fail" many Cmes before we make a permanent change in behaviour.

I like to think of making a change as akin to climbing a mountain. You may know where you want to go, but at Kmes you can slip and go back down a few feet, or even fall all the way down to the bonom! Although having a setback can leave you feeling like a "failure," it is important to realize that when you "fall," you never go all the way back to the beginning because you have gained some experience on the journey. You can use what you have learned to increase the odds of success the next Kme.

DO NOT think of these stages as being a one-‐way street starKng at Distancing and ending with Maintenance and Rooted and Grounded. It is much more realisKc and helpful to think of the stages as being more like a spiral staircase where you can move up, but you can also come back to a place you have been before.


There are 3 myths about change

Myth 2: If you don't make a change the first Cme, you will never change. Fact: At any given point, only 20% of us are able to make a permanent change with only one try.

Prochaska's research confirms that people typically go through the stages of change several Kmes before they achieve success.

Those who eventually reach their goal are determined and don't let their "failures" stop them-‐ they learn from their mistakes, they know how to fail successfully – they keep themselves rooted and grounded in the middle of turmoil!


There are 3 myths about change

Myth 3: It only takes willpower to make change happen. If I can't change a habit, it's because I'm weak. Fact: If changing habits were only a mafer of willpower, we would all be more successful at making changes and sCcking to them.

Making changes in your behaviour is more about being smart than being strong. If you are going to anempt to make a change, it really helps to understand what you are up against.

There are specific things you can do at each stage of the model to help you move through the process of change much faster. For example, from research it is known that in order for a person to move from ContemplaKon to AcKon, the pros of making a change MUST outweigh the cons of changing. There are techniques you can employ to help shi8 that

balance in favour of moving into AcKon.


How to look ager yourself as you go around the Career Change Cycle

I’ve set out a few do’s and don’ts for helping yourself as you mange your career change – using the Cycle of Career Change.

There really are some things you can do to help you when you are in each stage.


How to look ager yourself as you go around the Career Change Cycle

Although this model is in the shape of a circle and it looks like you will go through each stage … in truth o8en what happens is that as we learn life’s lessons we will only spend a moment in some of the stages moving straight into acKon/maintenance/rooted and grounded … so there can be some shortcuts but only if you know how to work the cycle.

There is no short cut for learning and being rooted and grounded. Get that one right and the cycle will simply measure your moods and emoKons and you will be winning all the way with your career change!


1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around



Distancing • How you can help yourself"• Accept yourself"• Remember and reflect on the good things about who you are and changes that you have made"• Acknowledge the difficulties while being gentle with yourself"• Don’t push yourself but do search for alternative answers – after all the sign of madness is doing the same thing over and over again"• Start looking at Mindfulness as a way forward"

How you can harm yourself"• Try to talk yourself into change"• Argue with yourself so that you become angry or upset with yourself"• Judge yourself"• Let other people tell you what and how to make changes"• Allow other people’s judgments to affect you"

1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


In 2 Minds How you can help yourself"• Recognise that you are going to

feel ambivalent and make your goals around understanding your ambivalence"• Spend time ‘noticing what you do

want’ rather than what you don’t want."•  Just like in Distancing, reflect on

other ways of going forward rather than doing the same things over and over again."• Be curious about new ways of

getting there."• Practice simple Mindfulness

exercises "

How you can harm yourself"• Push yourself into making a

commitment. "• Go into problem solving mode."•  Talk and talk and talk about it"• Don’t assume that just because

you are in the process of making active decisions that your ambivalence will disappear."

1.Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


Preparation How you can help yourself"• Begin to think … so, ‘what needs to happen for that to happen’"• Tweak things, and notice what works really well and not so well"• Now’s the time to set clear, realistic attainable goals using ARTful Goal setting"• Again … identify what you can do well and begin to plan doing more of it"• Look around for resources – people, courses, books etc."• Practice Mindfulness"

How you can harm yourself"• Just rush straight into ‘action’"• Do what worked for you in the past in exactly the same way!"• Assume that your ambivalence will not come back and that you’ve got it all sorted out!"• Just think and don’t do anything!"• Listen to EVERYONE’S suggestions and lose track of what you are discovering"• Ignore your ambivalence"

1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


Action How you can help yourself"• Nightly write down what has changed"• Nightly write down what has gone well."• Hold onto your long term goals and ‘tweak’ them as and when you need to"• Take small steps "• Practice Mindfulness"• Ask for help "

How to harm yourself"• Don’t reflect at all just do, do, do, do"• Don’t look for new ways of doing things"• Be rigid in how you carry out your actions."• Assume the problem is solved"• Ignore issues"

1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


Maintenance How you can help yourself"• Have contingency plans "• Measure your actions through scaling

1 – 10 on a regular basis so you can clearly see your progress."• Always look for exceptions and learn

from setbacks"• Use ART to help you keep away from

trips and traps, disempowering thoughts and feelings"• Practice mindfulness"

How you can harm yourself"•  Think that you have it made and let

go too early"• Stop diarizing"• Stop practicing mindfulness"• Stop doing what works"• Alienate yourself from real honest

friends and family members"• … I could go on!"

1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


Rooted & Grounded How you can help yourself"• Make Mindfulness your regular

practice"• Continue all your great practices and

have creativity as a major goal."• Keep your eyes open for new and

exciting opportunities. "• Measure your actions through scaling

1 – 10 on a regular basis so you can clearly see your progress."• Always look for exceptions and learn

from setbacks"• Use ART to help you keep away from

trips and traps, disempowering thoughts and feelings"

How you can harm yourself"•  Think that you have it made and let

go too early"• Stop diarizing"• Stop Mindfulness"

1. Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around


Slipping Around How you can help yourself"• Trust yourself that you can learn

from ‘failure’ which is really feedback"• Remember: the definition of

madness is doing the same thing over and over again"• Remember Thomas Edison ‘I’ve

not failed, I just know 10,000 ways that won’t work. "• Give yourself some space and

grace. "• Work on any guilt and failure

feelings"•  Practice Mindfulness. "

How you can harm yourself"• Label yourself as a failure"• Underestimate how your

ambivalence will affect your"• See your work as ‘failed’"

1.Distancing

2. In 2 Minds

3.PreparaKon

4 AcKon

5. Maintenance


7. Slipping Around

NOTE: Slipping Around does not infer failure. "• Change is difficult "•  It’s unreasonable to have no ‘slips’ "• Several trips around the cycle may be necessary."• Use ARTful techniques to learn from your slips.


NOTE: You will be learning ARTful techniques in your emails!

And …

If you really believe in what you're doing, work hard, take nothing personally and if something blocks one route, find another. Never give up.

Laurie Notaro

www.careerchangeacademy.co.uk 31

Remember …

•  APPRECIATE THE JOURNEY YOU ARE ON! •  LEARN TO USE THE LESSONS FROM THE CYCLE OF

CAREER CHANGE •  LEARN LIFE’S LESSONS! •  CHANGE HAS PATTERNS & LESSONS – GO WITH THEM! •  LOOK AFTER YOUR SELF! •  NEVER GIVE UP!

And, no one ever did it alone!

www.careerchangeacademy.co.uk [email protected] 32

cycle of career change

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