2. Although the build-up may be slow, the shift to action happens when the time is right

When people come to me for help in navigating a major change one of the first questions I ask them is, “What makes this the right time for you to make this change?” Most will site some specific reason why they are finally ready – for example:

• “I can see the cycles coming faster and faster. I used to find myself burned out within 18 months of starting a new project – but now I am getting to the burn out point after only two or three months.”
• “I used to be a functional dysfunctional – I hated my job but could still do the work. Now I am unable to continue to force myself to do the work.”
• “For the first time I can actually see my health being negatively affected by my current situation.”
• “I am getting older and don’t want to find myself at age 40 (or 50 or 60) asking why I never had the courage to try another path.”
• “I can’t see myself doing the same thing for another year.”

Sometimes there are specific dates that serve as motivators – for example, it is not uncommon for people to make decisions to change on their birthdays or on other important anniversaries (for example, two years after starting a particular job or six months after leaving a job).

Sometimes there are specific events that serve as a trigger. For example a senior manager shared the following with me: “I had been frustrated with my job for years and contemplated leaving many times but the final turning point came in one blinding instant. I was in a meeting with my boss and several other senior managers when my boss announced that our corporate headquarters was moving to another state and I was expected to lay off 20% of my staff. I was dumbfounded as this was all completely new information to me. I knew in that instant that I would leave.”

3. As many as 50% have never asked themselves, “What do I want to do?”

When looking to make a change people ask themselves many questions including, “What should I be doing?” or “What does my experience qualify me to do?” But they often neglect to ask themselves one of the most important questions, “What do I want to do?” One career changer I worked with put it very succinctly, “I used to think that the question of what I wanted to do was irrelevant.”