{"id":29107,"date":"2014-12-17T11:18:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T19:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=29107"},"modified":"2015-11-18T10:07:28","modified_gmt":"2015-11-18T18:07:28","slug":"4-steps-meaningful-career-raising-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/4-steps-meaningful-career-raising-family\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps To A Meaningful Career While Raising A Family"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Several times in my life I\u2019ve walked away from well-paying jobs in order to pursue a more meaningful career, one that more deeply connected with the type of person that I wanted to be.<\/p>\n

Recently in my Facebook Group, I was asked how someone could walk away from large sums of money to pursue a meaningful career. While at the same time raising two children.<\/p>\n

This was a challenging questions since it\u2019s not something that I have personal experience with. Every time I\u2019ve walked away from a well-paying job, I was unmarried and childless.<\/p>\n

After giving the question considerable thought, I came up with a four step process that can be used in these sort of situations. Several of the steps are also applicable if you are unmarried and childless.<\/p>\n

Know What\u2019s Most Important To You In Life And Commit To It.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first step is absolutely critical. You have to start by spending time reflecting on what\u2019s truly, truly, truly important to you in life and then committing to it.<\/p>\n

I would suggest spending some time alone (in nature if possible) journaling or reflecting on what matters the most to you in life. Go deep, deep, deep into your heart. And once you think you\u2019ve gone as deep as you can, go even deeper. Don\u2019t go for the easy, superficial answer on this.<\/p>\n

Depending on what emerges from this, you may decide not to make a career change after all.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, you may end up feeling more committed than ever to pursuing a more meaningful career path.<\/p>\n

If so, then you need to commit to it. You need to commit to it in your heart. You need to commit to it by connecting with others in your situation. You need to commit to it by sharing your desire with others who will support you.<\/p>\n

Enlist The Support Of Your Family.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re married or have children, you need to enlist their support in making these sorts of changes. You simply can\u2019t go it alone.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t spoken with your family members about your desire for change, then you need to do so. And you may need to talk to them multiple times about how you\u2019re currently feeling and what you desire for the future. In doing so, you will also need to listen to their desires for the future.<\/p>\n

When you have these conversations, you need to let them know how you feel about your current career and the negative effects it has on you.<\/p>\n

But you have to go beyond that. You have to show them what\u2019s in it for them. For example, changing to a more meaningful career may result in you being a happier person which in turn will result in you being a more loving partner and parent.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s my guess…neither your partner nor your children want you to stay in a career that you don\u2019t want to be in, particularly if you feel miserable in that career.<\/p>\n

I can actually provide a little personal perspective here. My wife is absolutely miserable in her current job. I can see how her job affects her and our relationship.<\/p>\n

Short of moving to Antarctica, I\u2019d do just about anything for my wife to be in a different job. I want my wife to be happier and I know her happiness will positively impact our relationship.<\/p>\n

My guess is that your partner and\/or children would be willing to do the same for you. People who truly love you will support you in making positive changes in your life.<\/p>\n

You and your family may need to come up with creative solutions so that everyone\u2019s needs are met. And that\u2019s why having conversations with your family is a critical step in the process of moving towards a more meaningful career path.<\/p>\n

Figure Out What\u2019s Next And How You Can Get There.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you already know what you want to do next, then you have a head start. Of course, you may still need to figure out how to get there (e.g., do you need to return to school to pursue your new career path?).<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know what you want to do next, then you\u2019ll need to spend some time figuring that out and probably coming up with 3-5 options to explore in depth. You may need to speak with a counselor or a life coach or work through a book like \u201cWhat Color Is Your Parachute\u201d.<\/p>\n

Before committing to a new career path, you should definitely talk to a variety of people who are already in that career as well as people who have left the career. You want to get a range of opinions and not just talk to people who love the career.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, you should reality test possible new careers by volunteering, job shadowing or doing an internship. Whatever it takes. You don\u2019t want to go through the trouble of making a career change only to find out that you\u2019re just as unhappy in your current career as you were in your prior one.<\/p>\n

Ultimately you\u2019ll want to put together a detailed plan for how to get from where you are to where you want to be, including short-term, medium-term and long-term goals.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re single and childless you may be able to make things up as you go along. But when you\u2019re not, when there are others who are depending on your income, you\u2019ll want to put together a detailed career transition plan.<\/p>\n

Make A Financial Plan For Your Transition And Your Future Lifestyle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Career transitions often cost money. You may need to pay for schooling. Or you may experience a temporary or permanent reduction in income. \u00a0Which means that you\u2019ll need to save up money or possibly reduce current and future expenses.<\/p>\n

The one thing that helped me tremendously when I was saving money for my transition to a more meaningful career was to track every penny I spent for about three months. I set up a spreadsheet and divided my spending into different categories. Every time I spent money, I entered it into the relevant category on my spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

This detailed tracking is helpful in two ways. First, it shows you areas where you can cut back on your spending. Secondly, it creates awareness in the moment and helps you decide whether the item you\u2019re about to purchase is truly worth it or not.<\/p>\n

Obviously this is just one example of how you might go about saving money and changing your spending habits. Assuming you have a partner, you\u2019ll need to decide together what works best for your family as a whole.<\/p>\n

Making a transition to a more meaningful career is definitely more challenging when you have a family. You need to have deep conversations with yourself and with your family members. You also need to make concrete plans to support the transition.<\/p>\n

Still, I am confident that if you follow the steps I\u2019ve outlined above, you\u2019ll soon be on the path to the more meaningful career that your heart and soul desires.<\/p>\n

Ed Herzog is a life coach whose mission is to help people discover an authentic career path \u2013 one that allows them to use their talents and passions to make a positive contribution to the world. If you\u2019re searching for an authentic career path, you can start today by downloading his FREE guide:\u00a010 Powerful Questions For Discovering Your Life Purpose<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several times in my life I\u2019ve walked away from well-paying jobs in order to pursue a more meaningful career, one that more deeply connected with the type of person that I wanted to be. 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