If you thought your day job contributes its fair share of stress to your life, “making the leap” from a 9-to-5’er to being your own boss might be even harder.
I’m not saying your job is a prison (though there were many times I felt that way about my own) — but remember that life “on the inside” is pretty stressful. Pulling off a prison break on top of that?
Hello, stress.
Your life probably isn’t as … interesting … as Piper Chapman’s prison life in Netfix’s Orange Is the New Black, but making the leap can feel almost as unruly.
The greatest disharmony stems from standing at the crossroads between 1. who you are and 2. who you want to be. Split personality disorder aside, you’ll feel like there’s more than one of you. Well, there is; at least in the way that work defines our lives.
To avoid getting stuck, here are 3 steps to jumpstart your career pivot:
1. Acknowledge and Own the Three You’s.
Let me re-introduce you to The Three You’s:
The Present You encompasses who you are right now. You define yourself by the current work you do, the people you interact with, and the activities you engage in. Hello, mirror.
The Public You is closely aligned with The Present You. It’s the version that is understood by and made accessible to the people around you. If you’ve worked your whole life in real estate, it’s fair to assume that your neighbors know you as “the real estate guy or gal.”
The Pending You is the person you’re seeking to grow and develop. This is the person waiting in the wings, itching to make his or her debut. This is the person you scream daily self-success affirmations at in the morning shower, and point at in the mirror and shout, “You were made for more! The world is your oyster! You eat dragons for breakfast!”
(I readily admit I did all these daily affirmation type things, albeit with often more colorful language. I won’t recount them here, but I have to admit they were pretty funny.)
Back to the point: clearing the pathway for The Pending You to take center stage is vital. You are literally working a transition to present a new “you” to the world. That’s why it’s so hard.
Fret not, here are two additional steps to helping you go from cocoon to butterfly.
2. Never Miss A Great Opportunity to Shut Up.
Yea, you read that right … I just told you to shut up. I’m sorry. But seriously, here’s why: any kind of brand pivot hinges on eroding the link between The Present You and The Public You.
The simplest and most effective way to do this is to stop talking about what you presently do.
- Stop sharing your company’s Facebook posts.
- Stop ranting about your clients or customers at your current job.
- Stop posting happy-hour pictures of you and your co-workers.
The next time you feel Instagram pulling on your soul for you to post the birthday cake your co-workers got you?
That’s a great opportunity to shut up. Don’t miss it!
[clickToTweet tweet=”When making a career pivot, never miss a great opportunity to shut up.” quote=”When making a career pivot, never miss a great opportunity to shut up.”]
Don’t give people the opportunity to associate you with your current job. Just stop it. Play with their perceptions simply by embracing radio silence. This will give you the chance to reset your public persona.
3. Share What The Pending You Would Share.
This is the fun (and easy) part. Once you’ve got your Facebook friends wondering if you’re still working the same 9-5… start strengthening the bond between the Public You and the Pending You.
Use your social media channels to begin sharing content that aligns with the Pending You. Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook once said, “By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.”
That’s why making a pivot, especially in launching a personal brand business, is more possible than ever. If you want to put yourself out there as a health coach, start by sharing your favourite gluten-free recipes … snap a photo of yourself sipping on a green smoothie … or publish your thoughts on the latest trends in vegan cuisine.
It’s amazing how quickly others will see you as a health expert (or whatever your Pending You desires) if you follow these steps. With consistency, the Pending You will slowly transform into the Public You.
Need An Overview? Grab My Brand You Blueprint, Free.
The above steps sound simple, and they are. But like most simple things they’re hard to follow through on because they require time and discipline.
To give you a big picture view, I’ve put together a simple framework I call The Brand You Blueprint: 7 Steps To Building A Profitable Personal Brand. If this resonates with you, just click the picture and enter your email.