“I jump from goal to goal and struggle to maintain momentum. I’ve tried so many new ideas and projects that my friends and family just laugh at me now. Why can’t I just stick with something? I need some direction and a plan. I’m fed up of not being able to follow through.”
We all have that friend that jumps from hobby to hobby or job to job. Often the subject of jokes and mutterings of “oh here she goes again.” Labelled as flighty, gets bored easily, indecisive or even lost. But if you are that friend then I’m sure you’ve had enough of the jokes and you may even have had enough of yourself. Some of my clients are all too aware that they have tried things in the past, which, perhaps, didn’t work out. But what I also see is that they take on the labels that others have given them and this is not helpful. Especially if they want to change careers.
If you’re fed up of jumping from one thing to another then here are two things to consider:
- We learn by doing. There is nothing wrong with being curious and trying new things. I will often advise career changers to go out into the world and try out their ideas. This might mean taking a short, low-commitment course, doing some voluntary work or going to an industry event. The danger is when you find yourself pumping money into course after course and then doing nothing with it or if you keep changing from one unrelated job to another, damaging your CV in the process. As someone who is able to try new things you are in an ideal position to move forward with your career change but try starting with low-cost, low-risk ways of pursuing your interests.
- It takes guts to give up. Yes, you heard me right! How many people do you know who stick with the same old job, hobby or commitment, even if it makes them miserable? Perhaps your friends who ridicule you are secretly jealous of your ability to try new things. Maybe they wish they could be as brave as you are at giving up on things that aren’t working.
If you’re still feeling fed up with yourself then try the following:
- Identify what is behind the jumping. Is it boredom or is it confusion about what will make you happy? Did you give up on a goal because you found it too hard or because it wasn’t challenging enough? Did you try a new hobby because someone else talked you into it? Is there a pattern here? For example, do you find you keep saying yes to things in order to please others? Do you find yourself bored because you haven’t done enough research about what a new endeavour involves? How could you combat that in future?
- If confusion or lack of direction is behind the inability to stick with your goals then try tying together the threads of your various interests to identify commonalities? A cookery course and volunteering as a primary ethics teacher may, at first, seem worlds apart but they indicate a common interest in nourishing others.
- Create a vision of where you’d like to be in 10 years’ time. Identify the steps or priorities to take you there. Whenever a new opportunity presents itself or you’re pondering on a change revisit that vision. Does what you’re considering fit in with that? Will it bring you closer to it or could it take you away?
- Get an accountability partner or work with a coach and share with them your 10-year vision. Get their help in setting realistic goals and associated actions. Ask them to help you stay on track.
If you need help with staying accountable to your goals then book in with me for a Career Change consultation. 30 minutes over skype to discuss your goals and what’s getting in the way of achieving them. Click here to schedule in a time.