September - time for a career reset?
If you grew up in a country where September meant a new school term, then it’s not surprising that this time of year has a resonance with change:
a new term means a new start
the chance to do things differently
harness high energy after that holiday
It’s ingrained in us!
So it’s also not surprising that I see a flurry of new inquiries at this time of year - a new season just amplifies the sense of change and new possibilities.
If you’re feeling a little stale, stuck, dissatisfied or restless with your current career, now could be a great time to dig into that. What are you missing? What would make your work a much more exciting and rewarding part of your life?
Let’s start finding your answers so that you are ready to make the changes you need.
4 questions for a September career reset
Try any (or all) of these four prompts to get you thinking about what’s underlying your current restlessness:
What would a successful career look like for you?
Take some time to think about your own personal measures of success. Too often we’ve been raised to equate career success with money, status, recognition, promotion, awards and other outward signs of achievement.
But success for many can mean things like:
having a real sense of purpose from your work
being able to support a lifestyle that suits you, not detract from or unbalances it
aligning what matters most to you with how and what you do in your career
being able to use your favourite skills for something worthwhile
It’s time to give yourself permission to think about what you really need from your career, and what successful work means for you.
If you need a gentle nudge to get started, try this free resource* to see if your career is fit for purpose at this stage of your life. And by that, I mean YOUR purpose.
2. What skills or strengths do you love using and want to use more?
Think about times when you are flow - when you are using skills you enjoy; when the challenge is high, but you are more than up to it; when time disappears, because you are totally absorbed in the project; and when results emerge that you are proud of.
Can you think of times this year when you have been in flow? If not at work, perhaps in other areas of your life?
If you need to, go back to earlier times in your life when you have felt this sense of flow.
This is a precious and very personal field to harvest - how would it feel to have more of this kind of quality time in your work? How could you achieve this?
If you’d like to explore your personal flow, try my free guide: Discover Work that Sets You Alight
3. What was you best work day or work week this year?
What were you doing and why was it so good for you? Perhaps it was about the people you were working with or for; or how you were working; or more about the type of project; or the context and its potential impact.
What would it mean to have more days or weeks like this? It’s time to think about how that might happen. When you understand the conditions that allow your best work to emerge, you can also start creating them - perhaps right where you are now.
4. What would you like more of or less of in your career?
Think about which parts of your current work drain your energy, make you feel dissatisfied, ill-prepared or conflict with your values or purpose.
Which tasks would you like to drop or pass to someone who would actually enjoy them?
This will be your list of what you would like LESS of in your work.
Now flip to the aspects of your career that energise you, absorb you, excite or fascinate you. Which activities or themes bring you alive? For greater fulfilment at work, you need MORE of these.
When you have clarity about what drains or boosts your energy or your motivation, you are on your way to making some vital changes
Back in the driving seat
All too often, and over time, we can let our careers drift. Sometimes this can lead to dissatisfaction, lack of interest, and that feeling of being stuck in the wrong place. Before we know it we’re switching off and feeling disenchanted with our work - what people a couple of years ago started calling ‘quiet quitting’.
But it’s also possible to break free of this inertia and create something more fulfilling. You can start by using one of these four prompts to really dig in deep to what’s missing from your career, and what you might need to feel purpose and satisfaction again. When you have some answers you are also more inclined to do something to change this unsatisfactory status quo.
And if you need a little help to get that optimistic ball rolling and make sense of your answers and what you can do with them, why not book a free 30-minute career chat with me? I’d love to hear your story and help you find the next steps to resetting your career. Who knows what 2025 will then hold for you?
Book via the button below, and that’s the beginning of your career reset!