There are tons of books on career change and it can be a bit overwhelming.
If you’re contemplating making a change but don’t know where to start, here are a few books and articles on my short list.
These got me through a layoff, a sprained ankle, and one long summer of self-reflection.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo’s book came into my life at precisely the right moment, when my apartment was overtaken by colorful plastic toys and my schedule was unusually free.
I had just been laid off my from my job and I was nursing a sprained my ankle so I had a lot of time and not enough to to do. When I looked around our apartment, I became acutely aware that every surface was covered with clutter.
I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I whole-heartedly jumped in to Kondo’s process of tidying up.
I unearthed a lot of forgotten treasures, including my first cell phone and a floppy disk from a job I left in 2003. I also dug up a lot of art supplies and other remnants of past hobbies cast aside amidst adult responsibilities. Sorting through almost 40 years of clutter was cathartic and cleared out the mental and physical head space to make some difficult decisions.
I decided to walk away from a 10-year career in fashion and retail design because it no longer made me happy or aligned with my values. And I took a giant leap of faith and started a business.
If you find yourself at a career crossroads, I challenge you to ask what you’re holding onto?
It might not seem intuitive but decluttering can clear out space for new ideas.
The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna
Elle Luna’s blog post went viral because so many of us have dreams but we don’t have the faith to follow them.
Every time we come to a crossroads and have to make a choice between what we should do and what we must do, we often go with should.
I had wanted to start a business for years, but the world told me I should get another job. That was the safe choice.
The logical choice would have been to stick with my career path.
But I knew that I MUST start a business. The universe was telling me it was time to make a big change. It wasn’t safe, it wasn’t easy, but it was the thing I must do.
Where are you saying should in your life? And what are you afraid of if you decide to pursue what you must do?
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
A friend recommended this book to me in the midst of my summer of soul searching.
The Artist’s Way is a classic book for creatives who are feeling blocked. Julia Cameron lays out two big ideas, one that I have kept up regularly called Morning Pages, and one that I think is a great idea but that I struggle with called Artist’s Dates.
For Morning Pages you write 3 pages every morning. No rhyme or reason, just 3 pages of stream of consciousness thinking. It’s a great practice to unclutter the mind so that you have space for more creative thoughts and ideas to develop.
For the Artist Date you create time in your calendar for fun and inspiration. You set aside 2 hours a week, by yourself, doing something that brings you joy.
As a business owner, I find this particularly hard but every time I make time to go to a museum, stroll through the park, do a craft project, or take a bike ride, I feel refreshed.
I Could Do Anything if I only I knew What it Was by Barbara Sher
