Returning to Your Career After a Leave?

 Returning to work after parental leave or another break can be challenging. You may be feeling anxious about how to make that life transition as smooth as possible.  At this point, it is best to make clarifying your goals, objectives, values a priority.

CLARIFYING YOUR GOALS IS ESSENTIAL

Clearly there will be new demands on your schedule competing for your attention and energy. Remember, if you fail to plan you are planning to fail. Thus, pre-planning your return to a career path, while knowing that you will likely tweak your priorities and schedule along the way is a given. 

How Can You Best Clear the Way?

Ask yourself what will best serve your interests. You will need to evaluate what will maximize your success and minimize the stress.  What people, places, habits, daily tasks are most important to you.  What will enhance your happiness.  Now is a great time to take a personal inventory of those things that enhance your well-being.  Start by paying attention to your nutrition and body and move on out from there. 

We will often find our purpose along the way. Ask yourself, what is my life purpose? What is really important to me?  How can you best achieve a life in balance if you have additional responsibilities at home?

 Self-Assessment

 One way to assess your pathway forward after a break in career leave is to do a self-assessment.  Ask your friends and family what they perceive your strengths to be. Some are known to you but others may be less obvious.  A friend might say that they notice you have an entrepreneurial purpose. You can relate the strength to your purpose going forward. 

It is helpful to list your interests. What are you passionate about? These can be related to your home, prior work or personal life. What would you love to do even if you were not being paid? When you engage in these activities time just flies by because you are engaged and happy in these pursuits.

Be sure to jot down what you love. What things, activities and people improve the quality of your life. Who are the people, places and activities that minimize your happiness and create barriers to your success?

 If your significant passions are your family or friends, you will feel unfulfilled if your work results in you spending most of your time away from them.

Moving Forward in Life Transition

Once you have completed your self-assessment your view of yourself will have expanded. Decide on what your life's purpose going forward will be. For example, "the purpose of my life is to X. " This is not cast in stone.  Think of yourself as continuing to evolve.  While it is important that you have a goal and direction now, you can always change as you grow.

Remember to write down your purpose and have it handy so you can look at it often. Remember that thoughts become habits over time with repetition and practice. You are literally changing the pathways in your brain.  Consider making a poster by cutting out pictures and images that reflect your life purpose and career path.  Armed with your poster and your life purpose statement you are ahead of most people in your world. Look at these things daily and remind yourself of what you want in life.

 Are the Opportunities Congruent With My Purpose?

 When you are provided with new opportunities, give yourself time to consider your options. Don't accept them immediately. Are these opportunities congruent with your life purpose statement and visual images you have displayed on your poster. Will these opportunities get you to where you want to be?

 Make a choice to be positive. Accept that there will always be challenges.  Chose to be ready and adapt. 

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 If you are in transition you may wish to have a counselor or coach. Consider a FREE no obligation 20-minute consultation with Dr. Chris.