Five Steps To Regain

Your Confidence

When It’s Been Shattered

Face your Fears

Face Your Fears

Confidence is critical, but when you are experiencing problems at work and want to

change your career it is common to temporarily misplace your belief in yourself.

Sometimes, just when you most need it, your confidence is at an all-time low. The key

here is to recognise the sources of these issues and then actively use strategies that

will help you move past them.

Fear of failure

Many people feel some fear when they consider changing their career. No, you are

not alone. If you’ve had the same job for many years making a change can be very

stressful. Making a big career change that involves study can mean an even greater

level of fear. Again this is not uncommon. Fear of the unknown is natural.

I remember feeling a combination of terror and elation when I enrolled in the course

that changed my career direction. All the usual fears almost engulfed me and caused

me to give up before I began. Would I still be capable of doing well in assignments?

Would I start the course and not be able to continue? Would everyone else think I

was a fool for taking steps to change my career at 50?

One of the biggest fears many people face is the fear of failure. When you start

talking about changing your career some of your friends and family members may

discourage you. With the best, but misguided, intentions they may reinforce the fear

you are already feeling. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say they are

probably trying to protect you in case you don’t get the job you want or can’t succeed

in the business you are creating. Don’t let their concerns get you down. Make up your

own mind, and be aware that change will only happen if you are prepared to step

forward and take a few chances.

There are two things to remember here. Being afraid is a natural reaction, particularly

when you are treading in unfamiliar territory, and even the most confident person has

moments of doubts and fears when faced with a new challenge. Also remember that

problems create problems. If things are going badly at home or work it is difficult to

get yourself into the positive frame of mind which supports a confident career change.

If your family life is stressful, or you are engulfed in financial woes, your stress levels

may worsen and you are more likely to be depressed than enthusiastic.

Work stresses are often out of your control

If your job description changes or your boss makes demands you feel unable to meet,

you may feel under undue pressure. Poor management can often contribute to

employees’ dissatisfaction and stress. Stress can magnify if you have a serious

disagreement with a work colleague, if your job skills are no longer enough to handle

the work you are required to perform or if the culture at your workplace takes a turn

for the worse. Tension at work is an unhealthy situation. Your productivity will suffer.

Your health is likely to suffer. Your employer is not getting the best from you, and the

cycle goes on.

Sadly, a bad work atmosphere usually only gets worse; people talk about you, or you

feel that they are doing so, and everything becomes toxic. People who are struggling

for one reason or another will find making a career change far more difficult than

those in a happy state of mind. Be kind to yourself and recognize that you may need

extra help making your career change if you are not feeling on top of life.

Downsizing can be dangerous

When a business gets into trouble jobs are often the first thing to go. If your position is

to be made redundant you experience the emotion and complications of losing your

job. However, sometimes it’s actually worse for those who retain their job because it

usually means a much larger workload for fewer employees. You may find yourself

picking up the workload of the retrenched employees. Your stress and dissatisfaction

at work are now compounded, but it probably isn’t a good time to even think about

making your own career change.

In a situation like this patience is required! Take the time to appreciate that you were

not one of those who lost their job, that you can now assess the situation objectively

and make your move when the time is right. Don’t give up on your dreams of

changing your career, but perhaps bide your time a little until the job market is a little

stronger.

Is age a factor?

As we get older sometimes we find ourselves

working with people who are many years younger.

Whilst this shouldn’t be a problem, often

generational differences cause problems at work

and mature aged workers, finding themselves

working alongside, or for, colleagues who are half

their age, can feel threatened. Confidence, self-

esteem, all those things you thought you had sorted

out years ago, are suddenly in danger of erosion.

There is no easy answer to this issue beyond

making sure that you are doing your job to the best

of your ability, while remaining open to new ways of

doing things.

Thinking about failure not success

Your attitude to changing your career will have a great impact on its success. For this

reason those negative thoughts must be managed. However you can’t just ignore

things that worry you. You need to separate the real from the unreal. Sometimes this

could simply mean changing your perception of certain issues, then finding a practical

solution to manage them.

Try this strategy. Sit quietly and ask yourself:

• What are the advantages of changing your career?

• What’s the worst thing that might happen?

Jot down every thought that comes up in response to these questions. Add a third

section on your notes where you can also list random thoughts, which may come up

but do not answer any of the questions. Usually, they contain clues to how your

subconscious mind is influencing your current thinking. If there is a trusted person you

can discuss this with, it would be helpful.

You may find that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. You may find that

the worst things really don’t seem too bad. Alternatively, you may have come up with

another way of thinking about the whole decision. Taking the time to reflect will help

you recognize the reality of your situation and prepare you for a number of possible

outcomes.

You can’t anticipate everything but you are giving yourself a good chance of being

prepared for possible problems. With information laid out in front of you, trust your

instinct. You may get a feeling that this is possible, or it may feel that you still need

time to do more research and preparation. Listen to the combination of your logical

evaluation of the situation and your instinctive feelings, and remember that

decisions don’t come with a guarantee. If you weigh up the pros and the cons and

arm yourself with all the information you need to make a serious and sensible

decision, you will replace your fear with optimism. Your confidence will grow.

Fear can be used for good

Everyone has fears. Smart people use their fear as a prompt or reminder that they

need to work hard, work smart and take calculated risks. If you want to be in control

of your life, if you want to make a career change and be successful, you need to be

proactive. Use your fear to kick start your determination. Franklin Roosevelt was right

when he said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Acknowledge your fears but don’t let them stop you.