What do you do if you're struggling with self-awareness during a career change?

Changing careers can be exciting, challenging, and rewarding. But it can also be stressful, confusing, and overwhelming. Especially if you're not sure what you want, why you want it, and how to get it. That's where self-awareness comes in. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, thoughts, values, strengths, and weaknesses. It's also the foundation of mindfulness, which is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and openness. In this article, we'll explore what you can do if you're struggling with self-awareness during a career change, and how mindfulness can help you make better decisions, cope with uncertainty, and find more satisfaction in your work.

1 Assess your situation

The first step to improve your self-awareness is to assess your current situation. What are the reasons behind your career change? What are the challenges and opportunities you're facing? What are the gaps and needs in your skills, knowledge, and experience? How do you feel about your work environment, your colleagues, your boss, and your clients? How do you balance your work and personal life? How do you deal with stress, frustration, and boredom? By asking yourself these questions, you can gain a clearer picture of your reality, and identify the areas where you need to improve or change.

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Jennifer Garufi (formerly Mannion)

Author, Mindfulness Teacher, Speaker, Owner of Jennygarufi.com
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Assessing from a non judgmental place is a wonderful first step. What are your strengths? What would you LOVE to be doing on a daily basis? Does this new job nurture some of your skills? How do you want to feel to begin each day and what are some simple exercises you can use to ensure you are beginning each work day with a positive attitude? Assess what you have learned from your past work experiences and how it may help you navigate this change. List some qualities and aspects of this new career change that you are grateful for. Sink into that gratitude and the other emotions that come up. Write a list of the qualities you are bringing to this new position and pay gratitude for yourself for being brave enough to change careers.

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Ramesh B.

Director | Transition and Transformation
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Self-awareness is one of the foundations of empathy. That’s because we need to understand ourselves before we can understand others. The study results showed that participants who improved the most at identifying the different parts of their personality also strengthened their ability to interpret the mental states of others. As a result, self-awareness allows us to see things from the perspective of colleagues, which helps us become better communicators in the workplace. By practicing self-awareness, you start to notice emotions and behaviors that become clues to your overall health. That way, if you find yourself feeling irritable or burned out, you can take action to remedy the situation.

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2 Explore your values

The next step to improve your self-awareness is to explore your values. What are the things that matter most to you in your work and life? What are the principles and standards that guide your actions and choices? What are the goals and aspirations that motivate you and give you meaning? What are the passions and interests that spark your creativity and joy? By discovering your values, you can align your career change with your purpose, and find more fulfillment and happiness in your work.

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Shahana Tabassum

Self empowerment Coach | I Help Working Women to Achieve Work-life Balance without Guilt or Burnout in 10 weeks or less | Co-Author of Hostel Cronicles
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I cannot agree more with what is mentioned here. Every person needs to identify what their core beliefs/values about life are, because every individual has few values that they cannot compromise on and many of them aren't completely aware of what drives them and what upsets them. When a person is unaware of the values that they hold so dear, they aren't sure why some days are good and why some day are a real mess, it happens at your subconscious level. So awareness of your values help you be more intentional and gives you complete control over your choices. BTW we all pick up these values from family, friends, environment, cultural background, media etc.

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3 Know your strengths

The third step to improve your self-awareness is to know your strengths. What are the skills and abilities that you excel at and enjoy doing? What are the talents and gifts that make you unique and valuable? What are the achievements and accomplishments that you're proud of and confident about? By acknowledging your strengths, you can leverage them to your advantage, and showcase them to your potential employers, clients, or partners.

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4 Recognize your weaknesses

The fourth step to improve your self-awareness is to recognize your weaknesses. What are the skills and abilities that you need to learn or improve? What are the habits and behaviors that limit or sabotage your performance or potential? What are the fears and doubts that hold you back or prevent you from taking risks or trying new things? By admitting your weaknesses, you can address them with honesty and humility, and seek feedback, support, or guidance from others.

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5 Practice mindfulness

The fifth step to improve your self-awareness is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of attentively focusing on the present moment without judgment or attachment. It can help you observe your thoughts and feelings without reacting to them, accept them without resistance or avoidance, cultivate a positive attitude towards yourself and others, focus on the task at hand without being distracted, and learn from mistakes and failures without dwelling on them. You can practice mindfulness through meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, journaling, or simply being more aware of your senses and surroundings.

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Shahana Tabassum

Self empowerment Coach | I Help Working Women to Achieve Work-life Balance without Guilt or Burnout in 10 weeks or less | Co-Author of Hostel Cronicles
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Practicing mindfulness help you see the beautiful world within. There's so much to explore within ourselves that it's never enough. If you put enough effort on knowing and understanding yourself without judgement then you'd be astonished to know what your true capabilities are. There's a genius in everyone waiting to be unlocked only if you didn't push it away or crush it under your limiting beliefs. De-cluttering yours thoughts and being aware of every emotion will help you release any feeling that aren't serving you. When you're kind enough to yourself to let go of the feelings/emotions that hurt you only then you make space for good things to enter and stay within.

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6 Seek feedback

The sixth and final step to improve your self-awareness is to seek feedback. Feedback is the information and opinions that you receive from others regarding your work and performance. It can help validate or challenge your self-perception and evaluation, as well as uncover blind spots and hidden potentials. Moreover, feedback can provide different perspectives and experiences, allowing you to appreciate your strengths and achievements, while also improving any weaknesses or challenges. You can seek feedback from various sources, such as colleagues, clients, mentors, coaches, friends, or family. Additionally, online tools such as surveys, assessments, or tests can measure skills, personality, or preferences.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What do you do if you're struggling with self-awareness during a career change?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess your situation

2 Explore your values

3 Know your strengths

4 Recognize your weaknesses

5 Practice mindfulness

6 Seek feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mindfulness

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What do you do if you're struggling with self-awareness during a career change?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess your situation

2 Explore your values

3 Know your strengths

4 Recognize your weaknesses

5 Practice mindfulness

6 Seek feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mindfulness

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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