Help! I am Having a Career Transition Crisis!

Help! I am Having a Career Transition Crisis!
Have you been waking up in the middle of the night in a
cold sweat, panicked about your future, wondering if you're
going to be able to make things work out? Is your stomach
all tied up in knots? Is your mind racing as you
contemplate options, unsure about what to do and where to
go from here? Do you find yourself wistfully thinking about
the way things were, wondering how you could have it back?
If so, then you are in the middle of a career transition
crisis.

It's a crisis because you're feeling unstable, realizing
that you're at a crucial turning point. It's a transition
because you're making the passage from one thing to the
next and feeling out of control. Nobody likes feeling out
of control. This is especially true when making a career
transition — either changing from one type of job to
another, or moving from being traditionally employed to
being a solo preneur.

Transitions are rough. They're hard on your body, spirit,
and emotions. They're tough on the people around you, your
wallet, and your ego. Major life transitions beat you up,
roll you over, and spit you out the other side. Even if you
planned your transition ahead of time, had all the kinks
ironed out, and had everything lined-up and ready to go,
chances are . . . it's still going to be rough.

The good news is that there are things you can do to
stabilize your transition. Here are the 10 main things I
did to ease my transition from working in the ivory tower
of academia to starting up and becoming a successful small
business owner.

10 Inner Practices for the Transitioning Soul

1. Allow the process. Big change often feels like death, as
if an old part of you must die in order for the new part of
you to be born. The birthing of something new requires a
deep integration. So allow that to happen. Some things will
cease to be. Others will take on a new form.

2. Stay in charge of your happiness. Understand that you
determine your happiness — not someone or something
outside you.

3. Reach beyond what you fear. Don't go through it. Reach
beyond to something greater, something more important than
what you fear.

4. Trust that everything in your life is unfolding exactly
as it is meant to be. Spend as little time as possible
asking why or looking for answers. Trust and know.

5. Make your inner voice the predominant voice you listen
to. Turn to others for support. Turn inward for guidance.
Not the other way around.

6. Remain unattached to outcome. Fretting about the future
or worrying about the past keep you attached. Stop doing
both, and you'll be surprised at the number of doors that
open, pathways that light up, and possibilities that
present themselves to you.

7. Stay connected. Don't allow your fears to multiply by
isolating yourself. Remain in contact with family and
friends who support your vision, and stay involved with
leisure activities that you enjoy.

8. Take good care of yourself with a balanced, healthy
lifestyle. Eat nutritious food, exercise regularly, and get
plenty of sleep. Weekly massages are terrific at releasing
and balancing the body.

9. Meditate and practice T'ai Chi or Chi Qong to center and
ground yourself, increase your energy, and sooth your
psyche.

10. Avoid jumping into anything new too soon. Go slowly.
When your life is disrupted by a transition — even
one you initiate — it takes time to adjust to the new
reality. Use that time to reflect and think about what is
really best for you.

Will doing these ten things make your career transition
crisis go away? No. However, they will go a long way toward
giving you some breathing room to explore what matters most
to you and how you'd like your life to be. Doing these
inner practices will help relax the tension in your body,
clear away the fog of confusion in your mind, and allow
your inner voice to speak to you. Getting in touch with
your inner voice and allowing it to guide you will put you
back in the driver's seat and turn your career crisis into
a career transformation.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for
entrepreneurial women starting up businesses. She is the
author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The
Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success. Susan
provides intuitive small business solutions, powerful
attraction marketing tools, inspiration, and direction.
Visit http://www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com and download
your copy of her latest free business success article.