How can I work out what my next career step should be? I’m uncertain and confused about my work
When you’re feeling unsure and confused about your next career step, it can be hard to know what to do next. But being in a period like this is a normal and common part of human existence and there are lessons you can take from others who’ve successfully navigated this time of ‘fogginess’. By embracing this time as a period of exploration and experimentation, and focusing on just taking simple steps towards the direction that feels right for you, you can step your way through the fog and into your next chapter.
Career fogginess
If you’re feeling unsure and confused about your next career step, you may be in what Jim Collins, in his excellent new book “What to make of a life”, calls the “fog”. This is a phase of uncertainty and lack of clarity about the best path forward. You might feel confused, disoriented, unsteady, or lost. Periods of fogginess can happen at any time in our lives, and usually more than once. It’s very common to experience the fog both very early in our careers, and much later, as you enter retirement.
Foggy periods often follow a milestone or significant event in our lives - what Jim Collins describes as “cliffs”. These could be moments of crisis - ill health, loss, redundancy or bereavement. They could be experiences of deep disappointment or failure. But fogginess can also result from periods of success, those moments when we’ve achieved our goals and dreams and wonder, what do I do now?
Jim Collins’ book documents the results of a decade of research into the lives of writers, actors, scientists, leaders and celebrities. Through deep study of the paths their lives have taken, Jim explores what it takes to make it through the fog - and there’s so much we can learn from his work.
So, what to do when you’re in this fog?
Firstly, don’t beat yourself up for being in this foggy state. We often tell ourselves that we should be “getting our act together” more quickly. But all of us go through these moments in life - they are normal, natural and common. It can be difficult to come through the other side, especially if the cliff follows a moment of deep crisis like loss or grief, but remind yourself, you will emerge from this when the time is right.
Lean into a period of creative exploration to discover (or re-discover) what you love, and what you’re good at. Be curious, and experiment without expectation. Tune into what Jim Collins calls “your inner fire” - identifying the things that you LOVE doing, simply for their own sake, not because of the results, status or money that comes with them. This might be:
💛Returning back into seeds that were sown earlier in your life (what did you LOVE to do as a child?)
💛It might be building on or focusing in on something you’ve enjoyed more recently,
💛Or it might be uncovering something completely new.
Flip the economics - the most successful fog navigators in Jim Collins’ study had flipped the way they think about making money. They saw the challenge as “I need sufficient money to be able to do what I love doing”, not “I need to work to make money”.
Take one step at a time - we often look for big grand plans and strategies, but when we’re in the fog, it’s simply enough to take steps in the rough direction of our hopes and dreams. If it doesn’t work out, that’s fine, you’ve only taken one step, you can course correct and try something else.
What if I’m not yet in the fog?
Maybe you’re not in the fog, but can feel something is changing. Perhaps you can see a round of redundancies coming up ahead. Or you can feel your company is moving in a different direction. Or maybe you can predict how technology will change your role in future. So, what can you do here?
The advice is similar. Preclear the fog. Take simple steps to explore what you like, what you’re good at, and how you can make the economics work. Getting ahead of moments of crisis can pay dividends later down the line.
Some steps to take now
So, whether you feel like you’re fully lost in the fog, or can just see the mists starting to gather on the horizon, there are some simple things you can do to help.
💛Tell yourself you’ve got this, this is normal, and you’ll get through it. Repeat daily.
💛Find an outlet for your thoughts. This might be journaling, talking regularly to a trusted friend or mentor, or partnering with a professional, like a coach.
💛Allow yourself to consider the question: what do I LOVE to do?
💛And then identify one small step you can take to bring more of that into your life.
From Liv 💛
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