Career Change Clarity: 3 Ways To Generate Confidence, Clarity, and Momentum
There's this pervasive and detrimental idea out there that career change clarity comes in a blinding flash.
That if you sit and think about it long enough, the answers will come:
• "Once I have clarity, then I'll talk to people."
• "I'll start a business when I feel more confident."
• "I'll hire a coach when I have a better idea of what I’m looking for."
• "Once I land my new career, then I'll have time for..."
These limiting beliefs are grounded in the idea that once this external thing happens, then you'll take action.
Do you see how disempowering that is? Do you see the false dependency it creates? Do you see how it mires you in inaction, stuck doing the thing you don’t want?!
Clarity doesn’t come in a blinding flash from out of the blue. It’s generated from your actions.
Yes, it’s important to take steps especially when you don’t have all the answers.
Too many people allow the fact that they don’t yet have the full picture to keep themselves stuck.
But it’s through taking action that you start filling in the blanks.
Let’s talk about one of the biggest benefits of taking action: increased confidence.
Confidence Comes From Action
Confidence doesn’t come from doing power poses or sitting on your couch chanting ommm. It’s not something you’re born with.
Confidence is learned through action.
Confidence comes from taking a step, realizing the sky doesn’t fall (and usually that things turned out far better than you imagined), and taking another step and another after that.
The more steps you take, the more real world evidence you’ll gather, the clearer you’ll get, and the more confident you’ll become.
There will always be uncertainty. Committing to go after what you want and trusting you’ll figure it out? That’s confidence.
If you're at a career crossroads, and looking to generate the right career options for you, here are 3 ways to generate confidence, clarity, and momentum.
1. Baby Steps Lead To Big Transformation
I’m a big fan of baby steps.
They’re a beautiful, low-stakes way to get momentum and build confidence.
If it works out, great! If it doesn’t, no big deal. Either way, you learn something and get important feedback to factor into the next step.
Here are a few examples from clients who started taking steps early in the coaching journey that led to big changes:
A US-based coaching client decided to test out what living in Spain would be like while he figured out his next career move. In a matter of days, he found a unique co-working space, landed an AMAZING apartment, borrowed a racing bike (I couldn't begin to figure this out in my native city), and started building a thriving social life. Today, he’s traveling Europe while he generates longer-term career opportunities in Spain. Because he stopped wondering if life would be better in Spain and took action to find out.
Another coachee challenged herself to become the highest earner in her organization even though she knew she ultimately wanted to leave. She also surprised herself with how much free time she created to look for the next opportunity. Because she stopped playing small and started leading with the biggest and best parts of herself.
Another client decided to leave her job in between deciding to work with me and our first coaching session. (See what’s possible when you commit to more in your career?!) Freelance offers started rolling in before she even gave notice. Now she has more work than she can handle and recently doubled her rates. Because she took the first step to leave a work environment that wasn't serving her.
I share these examples with you because they're works-in-progress. These people will continue to change their careers and lives even more, but it began with them taking action based on what they thought they wanted.
People who change their lives for the better know that career change is a process of taking incremental steps that add up to big transformation.
None of these people had any assurances of what would happen. None had a crystal clear picture of exactly what they wanted at the outset. But by taking steps, the path illuminated.
And they've all been happily shocked at how many opportunities appeared when they moved away from what they knew they didn't want and towards what they did.
That, my friend, is how most career change happens.
It's not fully figuring out what you want and then acting.
It's acting based on what you think you know with the best information you have at this time. Refine. Repeat.
2. Take a Step Back and Create Space
One of the best things you can do if you’re looking to make a significant career move is carve out time and space.
It’s virtually impossible to get the perspective you need if you’re still mired in the day-to-day of your current career. It muddies the lens of what’s possible in the future.
My own career and life transformation began not with a lightning bolt to become a coach, or even a bunch of baby steps, but a single decision to take a sabbatical.
That’s right, the best action for my career change clarity was no action at all. Just a beautiful, enlightening pause. I love that a decision to STOP DOING and ostensibly stay still ended up being a HUGE leap forward.
Giving myself time and space to recharge led to thousands of tiny decisions and steps that ultimately led to my dream career and life.
It's often only in hindsight that everything fits together.
You don’t have to take a sabbatical to create space…
Maybe it’s 30 minutes a week of focused thinking time.
Maybe it’s better boundaries around how much time and energy you give to your current situation.
Maybe it’s finding more pauses in your current day-to-day.
It’s your space. What feels good to you?
3. Don’t Go It Alone
So many people try to think their way into career clarity. If it were that easy, everyone would be in a career they love.
Going it alone is lonely, scary, and really limits you.
As my friend says, “You can’t see the picture when you’re inside the frame.”
We all need people that help us expand our lens and challenge the “truths” that aren’t actually true.
(And it’s why the best coaches have their own coach.)
Just like you need to give yourself time and space, give yourself the benefit of getting the support you need.
Building relationships with people you like and respect is still the best way to get the career opportunities you want—and thrive once you get there.
Especially when you’re not yet crystal clear on what that is.
It’s those conversations that expose you to new ideas and opportunities you didn’t know existed.
It’s those conversations that remind you that the fears and challenges you’re facing are a normal part of the process—and help you find solutions.
Career Change Clarity Comes From Action
I know it’s tempting to wait until you have more clarity. It’s a trap.
Listen: I am a PLANNER. But you cannot possibly guess and anticipate every single step into the future from way back here.
Think of it like this: imagine you’re walking a long road towards the horizon. You see a beautiful mountain range in the distance.
As you walk closer, the full picture comes into focus. The details fill in. You see things you couldn’t see before.
You start noticing beautiful pit stops along the way that fuel your journey—or invite you to take a detour.
The same is true for your career. Start walking.
Regular, consistent action is key.
Is your vision still fuzzy? Check out this post for an instant career change clarity infusion: How To Change Careers When You Don’t Know What You Want
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Author Bio:
Before becoming a coach, Caroline worked in management consulting and financial services. She's made it her mission to help people grow, contribute, and get wherever they want to go.
She’s also a tennis fanatic, aspiring Minimalist, FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early) enthusiast, and Aloha Spirit seeker 🤙. She loves to share stories from her unconventional life and career focused on freedom, creativity, fun, health, family, and community. If she can do it, you can, too.
The life and career you want is possible once you have the roadmap. Take the first step by downloading her free guide: 4 steps to take back your life and design a career with purpose.
