Navigating The Red Lights In Your Career

Last week I wrote about how economic instability and other factors are pushing some people out of their industries (especially commercial photographers and agents.) I’m so grateful to everyone who has reached out to share their stories since we started this conversation about work. Lots of tears and laughter, reflection, revelations.

I woke up this morning thinking about how owning your own business is a series of auditions, or a series of traffic lights. We are always hoping to get the green light, the yes, but there will always be red lights along the way. How often do you drive through a
green light and get really excited? Is it as often as you get bummed out by the red lights?

Perception and reaction are everything.

If the lights were always green, we would all be crashing into each other. It’s not possible for everyone to get green lights all the time. We need the red lights.

Red lights are not personal, the no’s are rarely any indication of your talent or worthiness. They are just a part of the Universe’s Traffic Management Master Plan.

Some of us take the red lights more personally. They poke at the parts of us that don’t feel fully accepted. The part of our subconscious that is still holding on to the emotion that comes up from having parents that wished we had become a lawyer, or from the teacher
that gave us a bad grade, or the husband that rolls his eyes when you start tapping on yourself 😂. The Doubt. The Insecurity. Red lights hurt more because we care so much about what we want to do. That’s not a bad thing. 

But what if we could try to start celebrating the no’s? Thanks, Universe! For helping me dodge whatever bullet that client or job would have been. Thanks for redirecting me to something better.

I know that practice doesn’t seem like it is going to help you pay the mortgage this month, but it might help you relax your nervous system enough to clear your mind, to open up a channel for more possibilities.

Let me know how traffic is flowing in your life.

For my clients who are seeking support in transitioning to a new niche, job or industry, I have created The Pivot Path career transition workshop. This is a live, virtual workshop that is happening on Monday March 25th. 

Business is slow for so many people, you are not alone. This is not your fault and not likely any indication of your level of talent. There is a lot of instability in the world right now, it’s a freaky election year, and the economy is up and down. While we wait for things to settle, there are still ways to pivot and take control of your circumstances.

By the way, if that means taking a different job for a while, there is no shame in that. Take care of yourself. You can always come back to your passion or practice it on the side. Am I writing this to myself? Maybe! We’ll dig into this and more on the 25th if you care to join us.