‘Better the devil you know’ – that was my daily experience for many years and one I observe in others. It is easier to continue on the path of least resistance than to make a career/role change, as we can easily convince ourselves we like our job (or at least aspects of it).

The thought of change can seem daunting AND when you have been in a role for a long period of time, what would another role even look like?

But don’t underestimate the opportunity cost of the status quo; your negative energy (or lack of positive energy) will not only be affecting you, but it will also be impacting those around you – the people who see and experience you when the corporate mask comes off.

Below are some top tactics for those considering a change:

1. 𝗕𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿. You don't need to hit rock bottom to make a change. Life can happen to you or for you. You choose.

2. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If you can make time for social media, you can make time to be strategic about your career path.

3. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 “𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀” – Find people who will hold the mirror up and ask you the questions you may not be asking yourself.

4. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Make a list of what you love most in a role – the types of people you enjoy working with, the components of a role you find fulfilling, the environment, culture, level of autonomy, etc, and also the reverse. Set this list against any role you are putting yourself forward for.

5. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼. Stop doing work that makes you want to hit the snooze button every morning.

6. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. There may come a time when you need to take a career pause in order to return to the centre. Investing wisely now can help give you options in the future that you may not otherwise have.

Who do you get to be when doing something you love?