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Are you 3F? Overcoming three major blocks
to career freedom
Overcoming obstacles to career change and life transition:
time, money and confidence
Clients often seek a career coach when they encounter one
of these obstacles to career change and life transition:
"How can I afford to move?"
"How can I stay focused?"
"How can I deal with the fear?"
When the United States had a military draft, men with "4F"
status were banned from military service. Some cherished the
designation while others felt cheated out of the experience.
If you're seeking career freedom, you may feel blocked by
the 3F's: Fear, Focus and Finances -- and you can change your
3F status to the fourth F, "Forward!"
Fear comes from giving up a cherished identity. Once you
move to a new career, you
have to find a new way to say, "I am" with pride
and excitement.
What will your former colleagues say?
How will your family greet the new you?
And how do you feel about trading in your
"senior seasoned" identity for the role of a
stumbling beginner?
The risk is real. After starting a business or spending a
few years in graduate school, you are
no longer the same person. Your old career neighborhood changes,
too.
Returning home may no longer be an option.
You overcome this block by learning to recognize fear as
a powerful ally rather than a threat. Work with and through
the fear.
Focus requires you to choose a meaningful goal and then to
avoid the siren call of your previous life.
When you have wisely chosen to remain in a job while exploring
your options, you must resist getting caught up in the politics
and reward system of a world where you are no longer a citizen.
You may need to find the inner resources to keep going,
while sustaining the motivation and excitement of your new
world.
Focus requires learning time management skills and creating
a career-related support system. A coach can help you feel
less
alone during the early stages.
Finally, financial blocks are real, not psychological.
I recommend a new way to inventory all your resources, not
just money. Sometimes a unique skill or a dynamite network
can substitute for a
bulging savings account.
At the same time, face your own tolerance for financial uncertainty.
Some people sleep soundly with a zero-balance checking account,
trusting the universe to pay the rent. Others get nervous
when their checking
account falls below five figures -- to the left of the decimal
point.
After years of researching and working with transitioners,
I believe the complexities boil down to transforming yourself
from 3-F to Freedom:
moving Forward!
As you work through each block, you gain a powerful burst
of energy and insight.
To change metaphors, think of moving a boulder off your travel
lane on a highway.
Now nothing stops you from moving full speed ahead! You need
your rear view mirror only to see how far you've come.
| Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. is an author, career coach, and
speaker. She works with mid-career professionals who want to make a fast
move to career freedom. Visit her site http://www.movinglady.com
or call 505-534-4294. |
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