There's Never a Perfect Time for Big Pivots

Severe burnout, family illness, COVID pandemic. What do these have in common?

These are the kinds of life events that force busy professionals to slow down and reflect on the "big questions".

Many of my podcast guests spoke of such events which lead to unexpected career breakthroughs:

• For Deborah, she pivoted into academia after an extended leave for family illness.
• For Diane, it was a 3-month sabbatical to become a public health advocate.
• For Janice, the 2020 pandemic pushed her to relax in BC for a year (spoiler: her career took off and she never came back.)

Big career pivots bring new perspectives, transforming your work and life in refreshingly new ways.

However, big career pivots are also inconvenient, stressful, and sometimes unexpected. That's the price we have to pay to find our true work happiness.

Golden Handcuffs

As professionals, we provide immense value to our employers and we're compensated well for doing so. As such, many successful professionals are trapped in "golden handcuffs." Year after year, we put in long hours doing the same work at the same place.

In the early phase of my career, staying busy served me well. I learned a lot, helped many people, and earned a good income. But my life changed: I dealt with a 3-year health crisis, got married, and welcomed a beautiful daughter.

When my work continued to stay the same, I began to feel dissonance – a general unease. I felt a growing gap between the work-life I had and the one I wanted. I kept ignoring my inner voice until I hit a complete burnout.

The most important lesson I learned is this:

As our values and life circumstances change, our work must also evolve to stay in alignment.

Change is hard. It feels risky. But sometimes the biggest risk is NOT taking a risk.

Run a Periodic Self-Audit

There's a version of success built on constant motion. But some of the most important career (and life) decisions come from finally slowing down long enough to notice what actually matters.

A space to ask important questions like "where am I headed in my career and life?" and "is this still the right direction for me?"

Instead of waiting for an unexpected life event to help us slow down, why not slow down intentionally to run a periodic audit of your work-life?

Journaling in a coffee-shop once a month, taking a long walk in nature, a single-day retreat. You don't need an expensive getaway to an exotic island – only the intention to slow down and reflect.

At the time of writing, I myself am contemplating a big life pivot. My mind was filled with doubt and anxiety when I read my own words in this article:

There's never a perfect time for big pivots.