The Signs for a New Career Move Are Flashing. Do You See Them?

I just finished reading the book Everybody Always by Bob Goff, who also wrote the bestseller Love Does.

In the chapter entitled “Three Green Lights,” Bob talks about how in life we often circle around a place to land until we’re given the green light or a sign it’s finally safe, much like pilots do when landing a plane.

But occasionally the signs aren’t always there, even when it’s safe to land. Sometimes not all of the lights are working. It could be because there’s a malfunction, or it could simply be just a burned out bulb.

But there may be other indicators available to go by. Either way, you have to decide to land with the information you have to go on, or you’ll run out of fuel and crash.

Bob says,

“Don’t ignore the lights you already have.”

Signs for a new career move you should never ignore

When clients first come to me, they immediately want a guarantee their decision to pursue a new career move is the right one before committing to it. They want a sign. A green light. The all-clear. Permission to land.

They’re so busy looking for one specific green light they can’t see all the other green lights they already have flashing around them.

What are these other green lights you should never ignore? Bob says they’re the things that:

Delight you.
Fire up your imagination.
Fill you with a deep sense of purpose.
Draw you closer to God.
Will last in your life and in the lives of others.

Those are your signs, your green light, your go-ahead.

Removing the blind spots to your new career move

But what if you have no idea what those things are? I have several clients who aren’t sure what inspires them or what they’re passionate about. This is often because they’re too close to their situation. They have to develop a bird’s eye view (or in other words, a pilot’s perspective).

They need someone to remove the blind spots for them to see and recognize those things they have to offer the world. This is my favorite thing to work on with my clients.

It’s a bit of a process, just like learning to fly a plane is. But I promise it’s not as complicated. Being patient with the process and trusting it can lead to a clearer view of more than one place to land.

I love seeing the epiphanies my clients have when we work through this process together. They come in thinking they’re going to land one place and end up landing some place even better. A place more fitting for their skills, interests, and purpose.

One client recently shared with me how through this process it suddenly came to him he might be better suited for a different role in his career. One he’d never previously considered. As he realized this, we both agreed it’s a perfect place to use his strengths and past experience.

And don’t forget the example I shared in my post, “How to Create the Life You Want to Wake Up to Every Day.”

Don’t crash and burn

Do you feel like you’re circling your career with no place to land? Do you need help reading the signs for what’s next before you run out of fuel and crash? Please allow me to help you the way I’ve helped so many others. Let’s talk!

In the meantime, feel free to check out my “flight manual” Personal Branding: Why You Need to Know What Makes You YOUnique and AWEthentic, available on Amazon.

Interesting side note

The old landing strip in this photo has a very interesting history here in Nashville. It was part of Cornelia Fort Airpark, named after the first female pilot to die on war duty in American history. It’s also the runway Patsy Cline’s plane was supposed to land on had it not crashed the night of March 5th, 1963, 57 years ago today. The historic airpark is now part of Shelby Park for visitors to enjoy. On any given sunny day, you’ll find visitors walking and jogging on the airstrip. I’ve personally walked, biked, and land paddled this runway. Photo credit: Matt Bowden.