Surviving Your Quarter Life Crisis: Step 9

Step #9: Use Grit to Execute Your Career Change Plan

Over the last few months, we’ve been building toward a career change by discussing the importance of networking, upskilling and finding inspiration.

Now the time has finally come to synthesize all of this information, make a decision and start executing your plan of action.

Don’t panic!

Yes, it’s completely scary to make a leap into the unknown, especially where your career is concerned.

However, you’re not alone in feeling this way, and you do have control over what happens next.

In fact, during a wildly successful TED Talk, Angela Duckworth spoke of a characteristic she found predicted success: grit.

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals,” she says. “Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future—day-in, day-out. Not just for the week; not just for the month. But for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.”

In other words, persistence is just as important as perspiration. Good things come to those who know what they want, and aren’t afraid to put in the effort to achieve them.

Here are some other tips and tricks to keep in mind as you execute your career change.

• Stick to your plan. If things don’t start happening as quickly as you’d like (or think they should), that’s okay—results don’t happen overnight. It’s more important to stick with your decision and see where life takes you.
• Have regular check-ins with yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day chaos of change. Be sure to take a breather and have regular status checks with yourself, to make sure you’re still on your prescribed path.

• Keep your lines of communication open. As you’re going through your changes, don’t forget to talk to friends and family about what you’re going through. They’ll be an invaluable resource and support system during this time.
• Go with the flow. Even if you have a preconceived notion of how things are going to go, there could be wrenches in the plan or unexpected curveballs. Be prepared to go with the flow if or when that happens.

As Duckworth also added, “Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” In other words, keeping a steady pace wins the race—especially where career transformations are concerned.

Now that you’ve started to execute your change, what comes next with this decision? How can you make this your best year yet? Follow us for quarter-life crisis survival tips and guidance, including step #10.