Experiencing a global crises like we are doing today may lead to many of us beginning to question our choices in life. Because when faced with threats to our life and to our sense of safety and security the big questions in our life resurface. Those questions that we tend to keep dormant under a blanket of routines and responsibilities.

Why am I doing what I am doing?

Am I more than what I do?

What is really important to me?

What is the purpose of my life and my career?

What makes me happy?

Hold on to those thoughts. Listen to your inner voice. Take notice. Write them down. Share them with someone you trust. Don’t disregard them but also do not run head first towards a vague future without first exploring the alternatives and consequences, your values and how they are aligned with your goals and what you really wish to change and what is worth keeping.

Working with a career coach can help you find that deeper purpose in life and the goals that will help you live with purpose. What I have learned over the years when working with individuals in transition is that we tend to want to rush ahead too soon. We take impulsive decisions to avoid the painful feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing who we are and what our purpose is. Any change is better than no change at all. Others hold on the status quo. Resist taking any decision at all. Because the well known feels safer than the unknown.

The article below talks about the benefits of embracing the “liminal period”, the time sandwiched between the past and the uncertain future.

“The hallmark of the career-change process is the emotional experience of “liminality” — that is, of existing betwixt and between a past that is clearly gone and a future that is still uncertain. Liminality can be an unpleasant state to inhabit emotionally. People going through it feel unmoored, lose their bearings, and oscillate between “holding on” and “letting go.” But this fraught stage is a necessary part of the journey, because it allows you to process a lot of complex emotions and conflicting desires, and ultimately prevents you from shutting down prematurely and missing better options that still lie ahead.

The current crisis is likely to prolong this in-between state for many of us. While frustrating at times, the state has its benefits. As Bill Bridges has written in Transitions, “We need not feel defensive about this apparently unproductive time-out at turning points in our lives … In the apparently aimless activity of our time alone, we are doing important inner business.”

What inner business are you doing while living through these transformative times?

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https://hbr.org/2020/04/reinventing-your-career-in-the-time-of-coronavirus