Still Searching for the 'Magic Pill' of Career Change?

Nobody can change your career much less your life except for YOU. Experts can identify steps, help you wit
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10 minute abs! 4-hour workweek! I have to admit that the marketer in me actually loves the effortlessness of these campaigns. They are simple, speak to the outcome and emotion of the target audience and make it sound easy. But have successful advertising campaigns like these and countless others skew our perception of reality? Have we become a society that is so focused on the ease and the simplicity of the outcome that we have forgotten how much work things actually take in reality?

Take for example my area of expertise -- career change. I recently posted an article in which I presented a significantly condensed system for changing one's career. I narrowed down the beginning of the process to 7 simple steps one should do before they quit their job. It was titled "7 Things You Must Do Before You Say "I Quit." The post didn't seem to hit the spot based on interactions. When I started asking different groups of people for feedback on why the article wasn't received as intended, I was shocked.

A good number of people said they didn't like the use of the word "must" and that the article almost made them not want to quit. I was so taken aback with "must" detail that I almost missed the overall point. Which is that my article, apparently, wasn't advocating nor providing a quick fix! It didn't possess the "magic pill" that the readers could just take, quit their jobs and find everything peachy tomorrow. It was very much unlike the "lose weight while you sleep diet," which advocates a pill increasing your metabolic rate as opposed to the "more work" option of changing one's nutrition, lifestyle and exercise.

Thus, allow me to dispel the rumors and to set some expectations. From someone who has changed his career and has helped others do the same -- IT IS NOT easy! It is akin to climbing a mountain wearing roller blades attempting to stay positive while everyone is laughing at you. In truth, one shouldn't quit until they are ready to do so. Aside from winning a lottery or suddenly falling into an inheritance there is no magic pill, I am sorry. All the "overnight successes" have worked their butts off to get to where they are. And if you are expecting a quick fix and find a program offering you such -- then you are just wasting your money.

Nobody can change your career much less your life except for YOU. Experts can identify steps, help you with the process, provide resources and connections to accelerate it but you have to put in the work. There is magic throughout because changing your career transforms your life, improving how you feel about yourself, your relationships, your health and your outlook in general. You should quit your job if it doesn't reflect who you are or allow you to express your talents and skills fully. But there is a proper way of doing it and a process to go through that will ensure your success once you do. Quitting is easy, what comes after it is hard!

Allen Vaysberg is a career and life coach, who specializes in helping people find their purpose and align with it. For more information, click here.

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