I was in my early 40s when I decided to transition my career. Thinking about a midlife career change can be frightening at that point. I recalled my fourth career change; my recent role before being a Coach was as an HR Operations Specialist in a Tech company. My daily life was being a typical early 40s cubicle-working lady.

I make enough money to support my life and save a little bit each month like most of us working from 9-5. As an HR Operations Specialist, my role was maintaining an internal HRS system and ensuring company policy implementation was well captured. Generally, it was not a bad role; however, internally, I’m wildly disconnected from my work and was not living in my happiness zone. I’m by no means a “bad employee.” I show up on time, get stuff done, actively contribute to my work, etc. But I just don’t feel the energy and living my full potential.

The role does not align with my inner value and my life mantra of “Passionate to bring back humanity in life.” I feel I dragged myself to work daily without feeling engaged and focused. I wondered if I could create a job where I am aligned with my value and flow, which yearns for a deeper human relationship beyond the system that I “talked about” daily. Deep inside, I have a more significant calling; I always knew I have the voice inside me that awaits to be heard. I yearn to inspire and guide others through my voice.

Naturally, I knew I needed a change, but I was having trouble systemically deciding “what I wanted to do.” I read a few career-change books: useless. I wandered through career-change posts: even more useless. I even attended one of those evening seminars on finding the right career: hopeless and 100 bucks evaporated. Not until I chance upon a coaching program (with Amy – back then was my coach and now my mentor).

I remember clearly that my expectation through the coaching program was to “hire” someone to tell me what I could do, but what I received through the coaching process was neither that, instead of through the process, I uncovered my own story of who I am and have clarity on what is my calling.

I discovered; that naturally, I have the talent to relate to people and tend to enjoy exchanging stories, being curious about them, and inspiring them at the same time. I reflected on my friends and ex-colleagues who used to tell me I should be in Training, HR development, Sales, Career counselor, Consultant, or a Coach. My unique talents relate me to one common theme of “communication,” “relatedness,” and “people development,” and it connects me with my higher purpose and mission to use these key talents to serve and transform the lives of many to their desire state.

 4 keys to making a successful career pivot that I can share from my own experiences as a Coach and a Coachee are:

• Recognizing your potential – Recognizing your natural talent and strengths, gathering the key elements, and identifying the theme are the first steps to pivoting your career. Knowing what drives you and what makes you “tick” is critical to a career pivot. I recommend taking an assessment to enlighten you, not only on your strengths but also about yourself. Once you know your strengths, it will lead you to how or where you can serve.  

• Align your goals with your values – Identify your goals aligned with your mission statement and choose to consciously examine how your actual values drive your decision. I.e., choosing to work late at the office over hitting the gym signal a high value of your work commitment over your health.

• Forward and not away – When making a change, it is essential to identify self-imposed thoughts, beliefs, and habits. This is not a process of escaping from a job where you are unhappy or have an overbearing manager, irritating colleagues, or ridiculous work hours; instead, this is a future-based decision that should lead you to your forward vision. 
  
• Take a conscious action – Recognize what you can and can’t control and do things with a purpose, allowing you to understand what is happening and why it is happening clearly. Consciously choosing your action is a technique for dealing with expected and unexpected challenges. The approach will lead you to a more promising opportunity.

Through my coaching program, I make my career pivot happen successfully. In the past, I had self-doubt. Now I believe in my potential. I stepped up from that big shit hole to a big, bold decision. I stepped into the possibilities that I couldn’t have imagined before. I was able to tame the self-limiting beliefs. I stepped out, surprised myself, and told the world what I was meant to do.

Use your natural talent, identify your strengths, and discover how your past experiences and skills can help you pivot. Our potential is of no boundaries; it is expended every time we push against our capabilities.