Change isn’t always easy.
Some people thrive on it but if you’re reading this it’s likely that you find it difficult. If you fall into that camp, it can take a lot of courage to make changes, but if you’re feeling stuck or unhappy it’s probably exactly what you need.
Sometimes you have to ask yourself which is the worst option – staying where you are, unhappy and stuck, or changing the situation to something which might turn out to be wonderful.
The reason we can find change difficult is because our brains want to keep us safe. The brain likes to deal with what it knows, and if we try something new it has to learn about it before it becomes comfortable with it. This wiring can make us stay in what we perceive as our comfort zone, which is often anything but comfortable. If you’re feeling stuck and unhappy, then it’s really your discomfort zone. You may be thinking “better the devil you know” but that’s just your brain trying to keep you safe again. If you can summon the courage to try something new, you might find yourself wondering why on earth you didn’t make the change years before.
I remember a colleague from one of the law firms I used to work for. She changed firms and when I saw her shortly afterwards she was so much happier. She told me that she wished she’d made the change years before. Similarly, I worried for years about whether to leave the legal profession but when I did, it immediately triggered so many positive changes in my life.
So how can you create the courage to change?
1 – Consider the alternative. If you’re thinking about change, you’ve probably already concluded that the alternative of staying where you are isn’t at all appealing.
2 – Remind yourself that if the change doesn’t work out in the way you want (or even better than you imagined), you could try something else or choose to go back to the previous situation.
3 – Decide that you’re not going to live from fear – which is where you’re at if you’re not making the change due to worry about what might or might not happen.
4 – Take inspiration from other people who’ve done amazing things because they had the courage to change. One example is John Grisham, who became a best-selling author after leaving a 10-year legal career.
5 – Ask yourself:
Would you make the change if you knew it couldn’t go wrong?
Would you make the change if you knew you only had one year left to live?
Would you make the change if money were no object?
If the answer to those questions is yes, consider what’s actually stopping you making the change.
Common objections in the field of career change are finances, lack of experience, and lack of training.
There are ways round all of those things and there will be ways round objections in other areas where in your heart you know you want change.
Remember that if you keep doing the same thing you’ve always done, you’ll get the same results. Is that what you really want?
If you’d like to talk to me about how you can change from your current legal career, click below to book a free call:
https://calendly.com/yournewdawn/30min
