Career Mistakes or Regrets? Top Tips for Changing Jobs Without the Stress

career coaching tips

“Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers”

M. Scott Peck

If you went to bed feeling anxious about your work week ahead in a job you dislike, or you’ve woken up feeling sick about another day in an environment or role that simply doesn’t fit you, don’t despair.
That fear is a barometer for much needed change and scary as taking the leap can feel, it’s much easier when you break it down into bite size steps.
If you relate to the above, check out my feature in @refinery29 in the link in bio, ‘I Changed My Career & Regret It. Now What?’, for the ultimate guide to making that big leap – and not looking back.
From the four steps crucial to avoiding career change regret to how to sell a misstep on your CV, it’s packed full of solutions to common pain points clients fret about whether midwives, financiers, lawyers to graphic designers and marketeers. The pain is often the same and the paralysis analysis can often feel crippling without simple steps forward.
Here’s a teaser:
Don’t dive in headfirst. Whether you’re considering changing careers for the first time or feel that a recent change isn’t right for you, step one is making sure you don’t rush your next decision.
“The most important thing in the transitional phase,” says Melanie, “is not to panic and just jump into something else quickly because you can. You need to get clear on what you need to be happy and what your key frustrations are. Because if you dig beneath frustration it’s usually a barometer for exactly what you need more of.”
Read more top tips to career change via the link in my bio and feel the stress dissipate 🪴
Remember, you don’t have to get it perfect, you just gotta get it going ✨

#career #fear #stress #job #wrong #coaching #careercoaching #happy #life #happiness #peace #fulfilment #joy #hope #change

About Me: Coaching + Workshop Specialisms

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A lawyer turned Success Coach and Corporate Wellbeing Trainer at Melanie Pritchard Success Coaching, Melanie helps clients peak perform in their personal and professional lives.

Melanie has a particular interest in the high-stress culture of our increasingly ‘always on’ lives and the growing need for successful wellbeing strategies. Having worked in a variety of cultures and organisations and with a range of clients across the world, she’s skilled at stepping into different people’s maps of the world, helping to uncover what makes you tick and how to activate lasting change.

Coaching Specialisms:

  • Fast-Track Coaching: Empowering young professionals and middle managers to conquer obstacles, achieve professional goals and move towards promotion.
  • Performance Coaching: Helping professionals at all levels optimise performance in the workplace by supercharging confidence, resilience, communication, leadership and personal branding.
  • Career  & Exit Coaching: Supporting professionals who are unsure of their role fit to explore options, develop a clear vision and strategise for change whether optimising the current role, moving within the industry or a total career shift. Includes CV, application, interview and LinkedIn coaching.
  • Life Coaching: What happens at home impacts on work and vice versa which is why supporting employees in the round  breeds results. Whether optimising personal relationships, bolstering wellbeing or improving confidence or resilience, happy employees are productive employees.

Coaching Approach:

Melanie’s approach is integrative, which means that she tailors her training and experience to your personal and professional development needs, whether coaching, NLP or mental health related. Melanie believes that once you understand what drives you and what’s keeping you stuck, you can create an action plan which really works and change your life from the inside out.

Corporate Workshops:

A Mental Health First Aid Trainer (Mental Health First Aid England) and a certified Telephone Counsellor with Bristol Mindline, Melanie’s interest in wellbeing extends from individual stakeholders to team coaching and wider organisational effectiveness. She delivers corporate workshops including:

  • Certified Mental Health First Aid Courses: 1/2 Day Awareness Course, 1 Day Skills + Awareness Course + 2 Day Mental Health First Aid Course
  • Manage the Conversation: A half day workshop designed to help managers spot the difference between stress and poor mental health and how to start and manage conversations with a complex workforce in a supportive way. It also equips managers with a toolkit to optimise their own leadership style and bolster their own and employee wellbeing and performance.
  • Mindfulness + Resilience Masterclasses (2 Hours)
  • Bespoke Careers Bootcamps: For universities and schools.

Clients:

Melanie has successfully worked with clients including Osborne Clarke, Simons Muirhead & Burton, BP Collins, The Bar Standards Board, Chadwick Nott, Network Rail, EDF, Nato, Shell, Ford, Microsoft, The Natural History Museum, Hearst UK, Balfour Beatty, The Princes Trust, Bluefin Group, The London School of Economics and Political Science, BPP Law School, The University of Law, The University of Bristol, Imperial College London and HM Prison Service.

Kind Words: 

“The last time I felt this inspired after a coaching session was when I was lucky enough to join a group coaching session at Google with the in-house coach, usually only reserved for very senior employees. Mel’s energy is infectious. I cannot emphasise enough how finding her has made all the difference”

Star | In House Counsel

“I was referred to Melanie at a point when my I felt trapped in a frustrating role and working environment. She proved to be a lifeline and a joy to work with. I could not recommend her enough”

Vanessa | In-House Lawyer

“I was constantly stressed and feeling overwhelmed in both my professional and personal life, unable to clear my mind and change my practices. Upon one session with Melanie, I was able to recognise my strengths and identify patterns within my own behaviour that both help and hinder me. Obstacles have now been removed and my thought process has completely changed. Within weeks, I was performing better at work and am no longer ‘taking it home’ with me. Seek opportunity. Melanie has genuinely shifted the way I think and feel about myself and the life I am living. The things I want are clearer and within reach now thanks to her guidance”

Chloe Chambers | Careers Consultant | Imperial College London 

“I signed up with Mel after reviewing a few firms within the London area. I found her program to be the most comprehensive and proceeded accordingly. Her personal experience working in a corporate and then undergoing a career switch was very relevant to my own journey. Her positive energy and professional / structured demeanour really helped me clarify who I was, what makes me ‘tick’, and gave me an approach for my job search. I would highly recommend Mel. Her insight and capability were second to none”

Sandrine Palmer | Business Development Associate | Amazon 

“Phenomenal. Best training attended”

Gavin Jones | Head of Immigration | Osborne Clarke

“Informative, educational and inspiring! Superb tutor!”

Matt Calladine | Land + Development Director | Barratt Developments PLC

“Excellent, dynamic presenter, clear, pacy presentation slides and good amount of interaction”

Maryann Devally | Station Support Manager | Network Rail

“Mel was very personable and spoke with real passion and experience”

Mark Walker | Head of Assets | Network Rail

 

Qualifications & Certifications:

  • Qualified family lawyer (Mishcon de Reya and Burgess Mee)
  • Certified coach with the Coaching Academy, the world’s largest training organisation for coaches
  • Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner with The American Board of Neuro Linguistic Programming
  • Telephone Counselling Skills Certificate for work on Bristol MindLine, a confidential freephone helpline providing a safe place to talk for people in distress
  • Certified Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England and MHFA Trainer. This helps clients identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue, reducing stigma and financial cost in the workplace
  • Member of The European Mentoring and Coaching Council, The International Coaching Federation, The Career Development Institute and The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services
  • First Class Degree in English Literature and French, a Distinction in International Business and a fluent French speaker

Press & Publications:

Melanie writes a variety of articles on mental health and wellbeing for the FT, The Huffington Post, Grazia, The Lawyer, Legal Week, HR Zone, The Law Society Gazette and Elephant Journal and produces The School of Success podcast on a range of topics from relationships and careers to confidence, resilience, communication and wellbeing in the workplace.. She has recently co-authored a soon to be released book, Shift: A New Era Begins.

 

5 Steps To Building A Productive Business Fleet As An Entrepreneur

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“In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”

Albert Einstein

Some of the world’s most successful businesses were founded during the last recession including Uber, WhatsApp and Pinterest. Could this be the perfect opportunity to home in on that business idea niggling you at the back of your mind?

As a Career, Life and Mindset Coach, I am often approached by budding entrepreneurs wanting to go at it alone.

Here are my most frequently asked questions and top tips to help you on your journey, as published in Be Your Own.

Read my full article for Be Your Own here

Most Downloaded Podcast with Author Your Life! My Resilience + Career Top Tips For Your Eyes Only

https://soundcloud.com/user-317527703/ayl116-melanie-pritchard-returns-resilience-and-career-coaching

If you’re feeling lost about career change, confused as to how to control negative thought loops or overwhelmed by the dating game, check out my podcast interview below with the fabulous Author your Life Podcast.

Invited back as the most downloaded guest of 2018, this is seriously content rich and will teach you:
1: How to turn problems to opportunities
2: What cognitive distortions are, why the brain can’t resist them and how to overcome them
3: Why careers are like dating and why you shouldn’t settle for the first job or average other!
4: How failure to identify your values will keep you trapped in a cycle of bad life decisions!

Listen here and let me know what the most positive learning is for you!

Podcast Episode 2 with Marisa Ribordy: Re-align your Life + Develop A Toolkit for More Conscious Living

Episode 2 of The School of Success Podcast Series: How to Re-align your Life + Develop A Toolkit for More Conscious is now live!

This inspiring interview with the intuitive yogi, women’s guide, writer + workshop facilitator, @marisaribordy, teaches you How to Re-align your Life + Develop A Toolkit for More Conscious Living helping you connect more deeply to your true self so you can shift your life from the inside out.

This is for you if you’re feeling off-center, disconnected from your true self, constantly tired or drained by city living or otherwise or have a feeling you’re on the wrong path but you don’t know where to start to get clarity on who you really are and what you really want.

This is also for you if you want to find greater peace + balance in your life, develop your mind body connection + learn how to listen to your instincts more so you can get clear on areas of your life that aren’t truly aligned with you and your greater growth and happiness. And develop that strong sense of self + clarity that underpins confident decision-making.

In this warm-hearted interview, Marisa lovingly guides you to discover a range of powerful tools to help you develop greater self-awareness and connection to your true self so you can realign your life in a way that makes you feel truly happy and free. Formerly @wildhappyheart, you can now find Marisa at @marisaribordy on Instagram and at www.marisaribordy.com.
Since this podcast interview, Marisa has embarked on an inspiring series on women’s workshops centering around the magical cycles of the moon and how you can set powerful intentions around manifesting + letting go at these times. Be warned she is a powerful manifester with magical tools to help you create your dream life whether in work, love or otherwise.

I hope you enjoy it!

The Lotus & The Lawyer: How Coaching Can Transform Your Life

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‘People, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities’

Bob Nardelli | CEO of Home Depot | 2017 Revenue $88 billion 

I just had a fabulous coaching session with a client who came to me feeling confused and lost about her career path, unable to see options beyond her current professional role and frustrated and drained by her rigid working culture.

She was like a new woman after today’s session, full of energy and excitement about the possibilities that lie ahead. Her whole physiology had shifted, alight with confidence and hope.

Granted, she’s a strong, resourceful lawyer but she’s a great example of what many of my clients exemplify. All of us, whether accomplished professional, tough Army guy or isolated prisoner can feel vulnerable and lost. We can also all achieve extraordinary things when we have the right support. Because once we understand ourselves better, we can create a plan that’s aligned with who we really are, tap into our higher purpose and transform our lives. It starts with understanding and ends with change.

Which is why I photographed the beautiful succulent in the picture above just now 🌴 It reminds me of the lotus flower which is the symbol of fortune in Buddhism. It grows in muddy water, and it is this environment that gives forth the flower’s first and most literal meaning: rising and blooming above the murk to achieve enlightenment.

The second meaning, which is related to the first is purification. It resembles the purifying of the spirit which is born into murkiness.

The third meaning refers to faithfulness. Those who are working to rise above the muddy waters will need to be faithful followers.

So I leave you with these musings:

☾ How faithful are you to stepping into your power and achieving your dreams?
☾ What are you willing to do to change your life?
☾ What do you want to be, do or have that you don’t right now?
☾Times that by ten and start manifesting your dreams with positive action

If you’re ready for change or intrigued about how you could get from where you are now to where you want to be, drop me a Facebook msg or contact me at melanie@melanie-pritchard.com and we can arrange a free discovery call to see if we’d be a good fit working together 1f48c

And remember, you don’t have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going 🏹

☾↠❍↞☽

5 Minute Career Quiz: Confusion To Clarity Quick-Fast

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“Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”

Confucius

We’ve all heard the quote – and many of us have ignored it for:

◭ The bright lights of city life
◭ The prestige of glamorous sounding jobs; or
◭ The common theme that marries most of these together – ego. What we think will impress, versus what truly excites us.

If you’re feeling lost in your career, there are some powerful questions you can ask yourself which will up your self-awareness and help you re-align your life:

◭ What do I love doing?
◭ What would I do if money was no object?
◭ What would I choose if the expectations of others didn’t matter?
◭ What legacy do I want to leave?
◭ Who do I most admire in the world and why?

But HOW do you actually narrow down your options and find a hit list of jobs which combine your interests, skills and drivers?

Here’s the magic bullet.

A simple quiz that will take you a mere 5 minutes to complete and produce a comprehensive list of job options, a description of each and salary expectations, too. Mine was spot on, with options like lawyer, teacher, psychotherapist, social worker, careers advisor.

So if you’re feeling lost, confused or don’t know where to start, start small and get some big ideas here!

https://www.prospects.ac.uk

And next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, remember:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive”

Howard Thurman

KISS: The Surprisingly Simple Secret For Moving From Zero To Hero

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‘Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement’

Brian Tracy

‘Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal’

Henry Ford 

Rather than focusing on whether you’re likely to succeed or fail, break success right down into small, actionable goals.

Focus on something specific you want to achieve and feel your confidence build every time you tick another goal off your list and move closer to your journey goal (the big goal each little goal is moving you closer to). Try and see the opportunity of learning in every test/ failure/ challenge along the way. Few of us were born at our best but the best find the positive learning in every difficulty.

So just KISS this week – keep it simple stupid – and see where that takes you…

You’ll be surprised at the results ☘️

And if you find yourself really struggling, ask yourself what your WHY is for pursuing your goal. What’s the underlying reason for going for it? How will achieving it benefit you? How much better will your life be as a result? How much will you care if you don’t achieve it?

If your goal doesn’t excite you, find a WHY that does and feel the stars start to align ✨

 

Why CEOs Say Coaching Is Far More Than Hot Air

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“I never cease to  be amazed by the power of the coaching process”

John Russell, Managing Director, Harley Davidson Europe

If, like me, your first impression of coaching was some wacky American self-help thang full of hot air, you wouldn’t be the first.

And I’ll bet my bottom dollar you won’t be the last to eat your words when you realise that:

“People, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities”

Bob Nardelli, CEO, Home Depot

And by people, I’m talking clients from all walks of life – Cambridge graduates, company directors, school leavers and cynics. Like my highly successful friend who was dismayed he couldn’t become a Partner at his FTSE 500 company without a coaching session. After an hour with the coach, he soon changed his mind.

If, like him a year back, you’re wondering what coaching is all about or how it could serve you with results based goods, check out some kind words below which walk you through the process ☄

“Melanie was incredibly helpful; she was insightful, she was understanding, and helped me to think of ways round issues and problems I had, or perceived I had!

She invited me to examine how the various areas of my life informed each other, and this was very revealing. I consider myself an insightful person, but she helped me to look at things truly; often it takes someone else to really reflect things to us.

She came from a very practical, yet empathetic stance, and was constantly encouraging. I felt that I could really take those small steps towards achieving what I wanted to achieve, and that it wasn’t as daunting as I had thought.

I think I had a tendency to over complicate things, and also to expect too much of myself. She helped me to break it down into small achievable goals, many of which I have now achieved.

Her knowledge, natural intelligence, warmth and wisdom gave me confidence that she believed in me, and therefore I should believe in myself a bit more!” –

Clare, Freelance Performer & Consultant, London

To check out how sessions work, pop on over to the ‘Services – Individuals’ page of my website.

The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying: Bronnie Ware

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“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not a life others expected of me” 

Taken from “The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying”

By Bronnie Ware

Death is one of life’s great taboos.

Ironic then, isn’t it, that Bronnie Ware’s book, inspired by the most common regrets of her dying patients, has sold the wide world over – in no less than 27 languages.

Equally ironic is the conversation stopping effect death has in life when Ware’s findings reveal that death is, in fact, the greatest invigorator out there. Bypassing ego, image and obligation, death sieves through bullshit and cuts straight to point – distilling truth in its purest form.

Five core truths, in fact – which level us all.

And that, Dear Reader, is what many of us are too busy to realise day to day – what really matters in life – and that’s what makes Ware’s book so powerful.

If that all sounds a bit on the heavy side, check out the top five regrets of the dying below observed by Bronnie Ware during her palliative nursing and prepare to feel a whole lot lighter:

1. I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

“This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I had not worked so hard.

“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings.

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

“Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”

For as Steve Jobs, the man who ‘had it all’, warned:

“At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless”.

If you think you’re too busy to consider the above, all the more reason to do so.

For as the Dalai Lama so wisely reflected when asked what surprised him most about humanity:

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health”.

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Warmly,

Melanie