Are you waiting for permission?

I’ll let you in on a secret… There’s usually no permission slip coming.

That’s what I tell my clients once they’ve made, or are close to making, a career decision. Regardless of whether it’s a step up at work or stepping into something new, it’s highly unlikely you’ll receive a permission slip telling you that you’re ready to go, or that it will all work out.

Particularly where clients are thinking about a career change or branching out as a consultant, it can take a big mindset shift and even bigger leap of faith to shape-shift into the new version of yourself. It can often delay the process, or even grind things to a halt. The best move? Just do it.

You get to decide who you are and what you do. You don’t necessarily have to have the job already, but you have to be heading in the right direction, whether it’s through study or getting applications done. You don’t need a website or full client load, but you need to be out there in the market and making your offer.

Let’s say you’re a Marketing Manager by day and you’ve just finished your Pilates teaching course. When people ask you what you do, you could choose to say “I’m a Pilates instructor and I have capacity to take on some classes”, rather than “I’m a Marketing Manager.”

Perhaps you have an idea for a service you can offer as a consultant, but aren’t officially fully ‘set up’ yet. You can still get an ABN, update your LinkedIn profile to reflect your new path, be prospecting for business, and showing up on social media and through thought leadership as the person you want to be, while you are looking for that first client.

So plant your stake firmly in the ground and declare yourself in the market, or open for business.

Go out and tell the world you exist - shout it from the rooftops if it’ll help you succeed.