For most of us, life moves very rapidly. We jump from responsibilities to activities to thoughts and worries. It’s like we are on an automatic walkway. If we slow down, we risk falling off and all the balls we are juggling will drop. The extreme dis-ease of busyness prevents us from finding greater clarity.
Sometimes it takes a planned immersion into a slower moving culture to have the space to reflect and explore where your career is headed. I love to escape the cold of winter and travel closer to the Equator where life seems sleepy and steamy. Usually vacations afford us that time to slow down and leave behind heavy obligations. Pair that opportunity with an unhurried, warm community and you have the “pausa” which gives a break and allows your creative juices to flow.
When is the last time you took a “break” from your career? A career transition point can occur by choice or involuntarily. It can become a huge change or a small re-direction. You can be let go or you can let yourself leave.
If you are pleased at work, you may not pause to consider why. If you are in discomfort, you may lack the stamina to create new solutions. Both scenarios require your attention.
Consider those people who design their own career transition points on a regular basis through sabbaticals or project work. They view their commitments as short term, temporary. As such, they are regularly considering their interests and needs. Sylvia uses her I.T. expertise to work when needed and takes off to travel the world when she has a sufficient nest egg. She is continually asking herself, “what do I want now, personally and professionally?” Loyalty and status are not values for Sylvia. Freedom and flexibility are.
Business owners tend to actively review and regularly design their next steps. They employ a structured break or retreat to insure they are heading in the desired direction. Matt takes time quarterly to view the trends in his sales volume. He compares these figures with his annual goals. Additionally, he takes a reading break to stay on top of advancements in his field and sets up focus groups to get client input. Sometimes he takes a short vacation to completely unplug.
For those of you who are employees, often your career direction appears dictated by your organization and its leaders. You question what level of input you have as to your ongoing course. Your choices feel limited. But is that so?
As we mature in our career and life, we seek variety, change, and fulfillment. This desire propels us to become more proactive in our career path. Traditionally, annual reviews are a time for the employee to create growth goals and to express desires for the future. But who’s to say this is the only opportunity both for a review and a voice?
If you were to operate more as a free agent in your job, you would be alert to opportunities to improve performance and brainstorm ways to attract growth. As an employee it’s common to dream of how you would operate if you were the boss. But what stops you from advocating those ideas for everyone’s benefit?
Twenty years from now, you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines! Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, and discover.”
Mark Twain
Creating a Career “Pausa”
Schedule a break
Luxuriate in nothingness
Be in an unfamiliar space
Get curious around possibilities
Try on one new perspective
Relax and see you on the path!
