Is it time for a new career direction?

Do you know the difference between a career refresh and a career reset?

Frozen … stalled … stuck … crashed … blue screen of death …

The terminology is familiar to us in this age of computer technology.  While we may not know how to fix these technical problems, we will use these words to describe what is happening to others in the hope that someone, anyone will be able to help us solve these issues. Isn’t this something that can happen to us in our jobs?  We feel frozen in place, stalled with no foreseeable opportunity to get a raise or be promoted; then, we feel stuck because we’ve been doing the same thing for so long that our memory is corrupted as it tries to relate to the opportunity to break out and do something new. We crash at the end of every work day from the mental exhaustion we feel when we realize that our work is no longer satisfying to us.  And, we go through each day doing our best to avoid the blue screen of death.

What can we do?  Do we Refresh or Reset?  When we refresh a computer, we know that the action can be effective in restoring a frozen screen, that it doesn’t take long, and that it’s like giving the computer a gentle shove to wake up.  We get everything restarted while preserving our precious files.  On the other hand, reset is a more serious endeavor.  We are wiping the slate clean and restarting everything.

New Career Direction: The Refresh

Can you see the analogy to your career life?  With the ebb and flow of business, there may be times when we’re stuck, frozen or stalled in our tracks yet have the sense that these obstacles are only temporary.  A Refresh will do the trick and give us the time and space we need to regroup, and to come back ready to tackle the job again with a fresh perspective and plenty of energy. Generally, we call this vacation.  That vacation can be in many forms – the standard one-week or two-week get-away, long weekends, occasional short work day or even a few purposeful mindful moments in the midst of our workday that will recharge our battery and keep us pumped to keep going.  Along with this, we recognize that our slump is temporary and can be fixed with only a few moments of time away from the challenge.  With our Refresh, we’re ready to keep tackling the issues with gratitude that we’ve been given this amazing opportunity.  All of our “files” are preserved and that quick Refresh nudge restores our perspective.

New Career Direction: The Reset

But, what if hitting the Refresh button doesn’t work?  Same issues yet our attempts to use the same solution are not restoring our enthusiasm about the work we are doing, and our self-confidence and self-satisfaction are not being recharged.  This is a sign that it is time for a Reset!  We need to wipe the slate clean with respect to our current position and start to explore a new perspective that will help us to approach our current job with new eyes and new energy.  If that doesn’t work, we probably need to consider moving on.  Our season in this space – good as it has been – is over and it is time to explore new adventures; this could be a promotion within your current company, a new position and company altogether or even stepping out to start your own business.  The good news about a Human Reset is that we are not wiping the slate completely clean.  Our “files” may look to be gone at first glance since we are putting the past behind; however, these files are the sum total of our knowledge base and skill set.  Unlike the loss of everything in a computer reset, we maintain these assets and can apply them to our new start.

When you consider this analogy, pay attention to which of the two scenarios is at play in your life right now.  Be mindful of your feelings as you come to the end of a Refresh period.  Are you re-energized, ready and willing to take on the next set of challenges?  Are you happy and eager to do so? If you are, Refresh is serving you well; use it as often as you need to keep yourself in good working order.  If you remain drained and stressed about the prospects of continuing this “program”, consider that a Reset is inevitable if you want to serve the best of you.

Do you feel the need to explore a New Career Direction and whether a Refresh or a Rest is in order for you?  Let’s meet for a Personalized Strategy Session so I can help you work through your dilemma.