The Great Trap of Consciousness

Information is not investment advice

How our fears prevent us from quitting the unsatisfying career and how we can solve it

You may have heard the famous quotation: "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become". There are the words of Steve Jobs, American entrepreneur, industrial designer, and investor. He still inspires millions of people to quit jobs that make them unhappy and start doing things they actually want to do.

It sounds pretty simple, huh? If you feel passion for the activity of some sort, just make it your regular job. However, the reality of a career changing is that it's rarely an easy process. Let's find out the barriers that distract us from following the dream of working on the projects we are deeply engaged in. Recognizing the problem is the first step to manage it.

I don't like my job, but who does?

It's a profound mistake to think that you can't earn enough money for a living by doing work you enjoy. When we have an idea to switch the career, hordes of concerns appear immediately. How will I be able to pay my bills? Will I have an adequate amount of money to support my family? Is it not too late to become a professional in a new area? What if I quit my job right before I get a long-expected promotion.

We face so many ‘doesn’t’ and ‘can’t’ even at the planning stage. It terrifies us and freezes all potentially fertile impulses. Instead of meeting the reasons for these worries, our brain tends to comfort us by oversimplifying the world. It sends us the signals that say something like: "It's ok to work here. Common people always have a similar routine as you do. It's not the reason to step out of your comfort zone." And we listen to its seductive arguments and give our job one more endless shot. We see the people around us and become convinced that most of them are unhappy about their lifestyle, even if they aren't.

That is the trap. Our consciousness blocks the possible changes through these tricks. The whole process of adaptation to the new forthcoming reality seems to be too complicated for our brain. It tries to eliminate any steps towards your goal.

I’m too old for a career switching

When you have a desire to change your job, many concerns appear. The vast amount of them somehow connects with age. Even if you are middle-aged, there is a tendency to think that a new profession is too complicated to master due to some prejudices. The young have more options and opportunities, or there is no place for newbie adults in the labor market because it is hard for them to develop essential skills quickly.

Most of the time, these fears are groundless. You may be of any age and experience level to start a new chapter in your professional way. Of course, there are some toxic areas where people poke sticks in spokes. Shun them and find a place where colleagues will support you for quicker adaptation.

As for the correlation between the age and cognitive network weakness, the scientists claim that perseverance and constant training are your best friends on the way to a new career. Educate yourself for the better performance and remember that labor omnia vincit!

Refining your approach to the changes

To cope with anxiety-provoking thoughts on the career transition, divide the grand task into smaller ones. Complete them gradually one after another, using the so-called salami-slice strategy. It helps you to escape panic and possible regrets, which can occur if you make a switch in one moment and leave your clear and stable life overboard.

Of course, there is no perfect roadmap for navigating you. For every person, it will be different. Imagine you are a white-collar who is exhausted from a 5/2 work schedule and dream about trading Forex because it makes you independent and mobile. You like to try your hand at it to forget about financial instability, save time for a family, and travel around the world anytime. So, you can simply imply some trader activities into your daily plan.

Firstly, you can educate yourself about the Forex market on the way to work or during a lunch break. Then you may add after-work practice little by little prolonging the time you dedicate to trading and its mastering. Some weeks later, you will find that it is not as hard and scary as you imagine from the first step.

Secondly, you have to know how to set the goals. As long as you have small tasks, learn how to total up the intermediate results. It helps you see the progress, cheers you up, and clarifies the next steps.

When you see that you can systematically carry out assigned tasks, it is nothing than the impetus you need to get started on the full career switching. By this time, you will have developed the necessary skills for trading and quit the job that you hardly care about anymore.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. They are inevitable on the pass to growth. Learn from the experience and stay genuinely curious. It points you in the right direction for your evolution as a person and a professional. Be detail-oriented, and from time to time, don't forget to track whether the work you do aligns with your values and desires. 

Instead of feeling like you are just a cog in the business machine, become the captain of your dream.