Do you:

• Know what you’d love to do with your career but feel paralyzed by the unknowns and hurdles you face?
• Fear the financial or time risk you will have to take to reach your goal?
• Feel lost without direction, unsure what career would make you happy?

If you saw yourself in one or more of the above statements, you are dealing with anxiety. Not because you are weak or broken, but because it’s normal. Your career impacts everything that matters, you’re self-esteem, finances, relationships, and much more. Your elevated anxiety is there to protect you, but it’s also holding you back.

Here are some steps you can take to walk through the anxiety, not letting it stop you in your tracks.

Step One: Root Your Decision in Self-Awareness

Your capabilities and interests are stable and in your control. Getting clear about your strengths is a confidence booster. It’s also strategically smart. Start by taking a self-assessment to clarify your values, skills, interests, and personality. Use your results to guide your choices. Now you have a road map you can trust.

Step Two: Do Your Research

Explore your interests and discover careers that leverage your skill set. Utilize AI to research all your dreams and career assessment results, and explore what is possible. Anxiety might be keeping you from the simple act of exploration. Uncover pathways you never imagined.

Step Three: Evaluate the Stories You Are Telling Yourself

This is the biggest anxiety producer and one of the most difficult to tackle. The stories likely start with thoughts like: “I can’t because…” or “That won’t work because…” You might need a good friend or a coach to help you uncover and re-author the stories that keep you stuck.

Bottom line, anxiety is going to be your partner, whether you like it or not. It does not need to stop you; it can be part of the fuel that propels you forward. Shake hands with it and get moving!