Ouch! I’m growing… Learning to lean into the fear of starting a new career

When I decided to step away from a career in corporate tax to try something new a cornucopia of emotions and thoughts occupied my mind.  There was excitement about my vision of the future, and I imagined how wonderful life was after making the change and successfully experiencing this new career. I started acting and quickly realized that I was afraid of the unknown, had doubts about my ability to transition and to be successful. Excitement changed to anxiety, and I needed to figure out how to move forward. By looking inward and leaning into my fears I was able to learn more about myself.

My first realization is that excitement and anxiety share some similar characteristics like increased heart rate and rapid breathing. It was my interpretation of these responses that labeled my experience good or bad. When negative labels and self-doubt creep into your thoughts it hinders your ability to see clearly and to be present in the moment. When you worry about something in the future that may not happen it takes away the energy you have to accomplish what you want to do today. I reminded myself that to grow or change, you must get outside of your comfort zone. This means you’re in a new place, somewhere you’ve never been, which, by the way, is the goal, and being uncomfortable is your body telling you that growth is happening. Celebrate this instead of cowering from it. By reframing this as excitement, as evidence you are making progress, it can make all the difference in your transition.

Secondly, make sure you reflect on your definition of success for each step in this new journey. I have a goal to write a book one day. If my definition of success was simply to publish a book, then anything short of that is failure. By defining success differently and celebrating progress rather than outcomes, you will see every step in the journey as success. This mindset will help maintain motivation and focus when those self-doubts invariably pop up. I want to write a book that will help people live more fulfilling lives. This article is far from being a complete book, but it’s a sign of progress that I am becoming a writer. I’ll take that as a check in the success column. What can you celebrate today?