I came down with the flu two weeks ago. I’ve been indoors and living on my couch and just discovered that Spring has arrived, which means now all my allergies are kicking in. I feel slow and am unproductive. It’s frustrating. But I’ve had this feeling before, even when I’m not sick. I bet we’ve all had those moments of slow, unproductive, not-quite-ourselves… when our confidence takes a hit and we lose our footing… can’t quite seem to get back to normal. Some of us make it to 30 without experiencing this but none of us get to 40 without a few days or weeks of it.

I call this losing your mojo.

Just for the heck of it, I googled the definition of mojo and found some other definitions… so when I say mojo, to be clear - I don’t mean libido or synthetic marijuana. I mean good luck, charm or skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural. When we’re doing great at work and in life, it...

When I left my job at the end of 2016, I did so on faith. This is the story of my journey and with it, a formula for taking risks.

The year leading up to my decision to leave was an emotional one. I’d spent an entire career with one company. I loved the company’s mission, my job, my colleagues and our clients so it was unsettling for me – at the beginning of 2016 – to realize that I was really unhappy. I tried to see the light at the end of the tunnel; I talked to the right people about it and got positive feedback, but after many months of trying to see a future for myself there, I just couldn’t. The only thing to do was to leave.

I am not someone who leaves. I don’t quit. So this word, leave – while it brought with it a clarity that I had been seeking – was totally unexpected. It gave me clarity… but no relief. The thought of leaving opened a list of new questions:

Where do I go?  Don’t know.

What do I do? No clue.

The Rolling Stones say, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” But I think The Stones are wrong. You can totally get the career you want, and in the process, you can also get what you need. But get ready because a career change is almost always a world-rocking experience.

When embarking on a career change, confidence is either built up or knocked out, and truth be told, it’s usually a bit of both along the way. It can be a lonely, confusing time. What will shape your experience along this journey (which can take months or years) is how you approach it and how you manage your mind in the process. If done well, you’ll land where your passion is alive again and your work is a natural expression for you.

Through my own experience and the experiences of people I coach, I have found a few key action items that most help the beginning of a career transition:

Write your dream job. Make it a...