5 mindset shifts in 2025 to reset your career
Now the frantic January scramble for resolutions and short term wins is petering out, step back for the long view, for something more lasting - and more you.
When you’re caught up in the various tugs and never-ending busy-ness of everyday life, it’s hard to recognise the possibility of gaining more control and choice in your life. I know this from my own experience.
I also know that clearing space to think about the things that really matter, offers the key to a life that rewards you rather than grinds you down.
So how can we do this? Quite simply, it starts in our heads, with a few vital mindset shifts:
Choice v drift
When we’re drifting, life feels like it’s happening to us rather than driven by us.
Perhaps we set off on a career path by chance, by stumbling into something that seemed interesting, the obvious or only visible choice, or maybe we simply followed the path expected of us.
Recognising when we’re drifting is the vital first step to changing the course of our lives.
Ask yourself questions like:
‘Who set the path I’m on?’
‘Is it still working for me?’
‘What’s missing?’
‘What do I need more, or less of?’
‘Why have I become aware of this drift at this point in my life?’
When you have answered some of these questions you have started to bring into focus what might need changing and why you have woken up at this point in your life.
Pay attention - this is an opportunity!
2. Growth v. Progress
The notion of ‘progress’ implies linear movement - a clear path, climbing the corporate ladder perhaps, and distinct stages along the way. The end result might be more knowledge, complexity, responsibility, or promotion; but the real questions are these:
is it actually better or what you really want?
‘Growth’ on the other hand suggests expansion, development, something more amorphous and with a unique flavour. There is the implication here of wisdom, enrichment, and understanding.
Both might provide a way out of feeling stuck and a path to achievement. But the most important question for me is: what is this ‘progress’ or ‘growth’ giving me?
And, vitally:
Is it taking me in the right direction?
Yes, there’s a clear link to my previous point - consciously choosing a path, choosing change to align more closely with what you need and want at this stage of your life.
At the heart of this is knowing that you’re heading in the best direction - for you.
3. Direction v. Destination
There’s a strong assumption out there that destination is everything. That knowing exactly where you are heading and seeing the steps that will take you there is the only path to success.
But what if knowing which direction is right for you (and why) is actually the approach that will enable you to design the next chapter to better align with your values, play to your strengths, and offer a deeper sense of meaning?
What if embracing the idea that a compass rather than a map will bring you to a place that’s better for you? What if a certain amount of experimentation and ambiguity are the way to personal and professional fulfilment?
This philosophy underpins my Career Change Programme, a process to uncover a better direction for you.
4. Authenticity v ‘Success’
What does success mean to you? Is it external markers like promotion, a pay rise, better perks, hitting a target, or winning a deal?
Or perhaps ‘success’ is marked by more personal measures like flexibility, collaboration, belonging, fair pay, or autonomy?
If you don’t understand what success looks like to you, it’s natural that you’ll adopt society’s shorthand for success - money, status, measurable attainment, bigger house, more possessions. And those measures may not be the ones to bring you fulfilment and happiness.
When you tap into what really matters to you, it’s possible to differentiate what you need for more meaning and satisfaction in your working life. Knowing the values that are most important to you - and making choices to honour them - means you are building a life that reflects who you really are. The authentic you.
Try this free guide to identifying your Measures of Success.
If you’d like to find out more about your values, your can read more about Values Discovery here.
5. Intention v Resolution
I’m not a fan of New Year resolutions.
They carry the weight of ‘ought to’ rather that a wholehearted ‘want to.’ January is one of the toughest months (in the northern hemisphere at least) and to saddle ourselves with a tough challenge seems to be setting ourselves up for a fail.
When clients work with me, they come with a desire to change direction, to discover and move into something far more fulfilling. There is already intention, their hearts and heads ready for something new. With this motivation and energy, they have already set fair conditions to succeed. And that is why I find intention so much more likely to bring rewards than the idea of resolution.
Yes, grit and resolve are important in any change, but first, set an intention - the desire to do what it takes to redesign your life.
This is Your Life
When you use your own unique lens to explore the possibilities your future holds, you have made an important shift. This is your life - design what you want and need to be happy and fulfilled.
Here are some starting points:
Be honest with yourself and what you want and need (Identify your values, what gives you purpose, which strengths you are driven to use, what success looks like to you)
Recognise when you are living someone else’s version of a ‘good’ life
Recognise a turning point as an opportunity - and design a different way of living and working
“If the path before you is clear, it’s probably someone else’s”
Don’t be afraid of setting out in the fog, things will become clearer as you move ahead. When you take that first step, you are already learning, so just start!
And if you need some help, simply get in touch to arrange a free career call - use the button below. Whatever the time of year, if you’re feeling at a crossroads, your time is now!