Thinking of resetting your career? Here are three things that will stop you.

What I’ve learned over the past six years is that I’m less of a career coach and more of a barrier removal service. My job is simply to take away the excuses that stop you from doing what you know you should do, and provide enough support and affirmation to launch you forward.

Let me save you some time. If you’re thinking about resetting your career, I’ve come across the same three hang-ups that threaten all resetters. Here they are:

1. Fear. This is number one for a reason. It’s probably the main thing that’s stopping you from taking the leap, altering course, and stepping out. It usually sounds like “what if I can’t make any money doing that?!” or “what if I get there and realize I don’t like it?!” or “what if…{insert really scary potential future outcome over which you have no control right now anyway}?!” I’ve felt it. Still do. Every day. But it’s not enough to stop me. As Seth Godin once remarked, the goal isn’t to ignore your fears. It’s to acknowledge them and say, “Thanks. I think I’ll try anyway.”
2. Expectations. “What will people think?” The reality is that everyone around you has an expectation of how you should behave and anything you do that doesn’t fit that expectation can be threatening. Most of the time when people say, “Have you lost your mind?!” it’s simply because they could never see themselves doing what you want to do. But that’s ok. It’s not for them to do it. It’s for you to do it. They’re not you. They don’t have the same talents, ideas, passions, drives, motivations, values, skill sets, and experiences. Your plan doesn’t need to feel good to them.
3. Unclear path. The thing that stops many from making their next move is that they don’t know the next move. There are really clear paths for conventional jobs. Grad school? Take a test and prep your application. Corporate world? Network and send out your resume. Medical school? Take the prerequisites and apply. But your dream likely doesn’t have a path precisely because it’s your dream. No one else stopped long enough to create the path so you’re going to have to do it on your own. That’s the good news and bad news. It’s up to you, and no one else will really know any different if you don’t do it.
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The solutions to each of these would take a 100,000-word book to unpack. Maybe I’ll do that at some point. But in the meantime, knowing your barriers before you even get started can be enough to propel you past them.