During a period of change there will be ups and downs along the way. During my career transition, I managed this by setting myself short, medium and long term goals...
In the short term, I changed my work password to 'Calvert Coaching'. It was a daily reminder for me where I was heading - subtle yet effective way to remind myself of where I ultimately wanted to end up. In the medium term, I wanted to stay in the job I was doing but have the capacity in terms of a work life balance to start my own business. I currently have a good job, a great team and it is a nice place to work. The new flexible working policy that came into play in 2015, means you can request flexible working arrangements without needing to cite childcare as a reason. I decided to ask to go part time, find a job share partner and spend the other half of the week starting up the business. This in itself felt like a big decision but once I went part time, I had more time to focus on the business and managed to win a couple of coaching contracts which felt great. It was a bit scary but so, so exciting! For me, this was the start of knowing it was possible to make a career out of something I love!
In the long term, I would like to have paid clients - both private and corporate and work towards a full-time job as a coach. A work life balance is also very important to me so I am very keen I also enjoy the journey on the way to this new career. In terms of enjoying the journey, I am about to have a baby (this month in fact!) so my goals will most certainly be adjusted/incorporated for the new role in my life.
It really is amazing what starts to happen when you start moving forward and making decisions towards your goals – breaking it down into the short, medium and long term. It sometimes feels scary at the time but really helps you to become less 'stuck', helps break the larger goal into manageable steps and long term, ensure you live the life you want.