How change has enhanced my career

Change has been a constant in my career. So much so that I became used to it, I even began to enjoy it. More recently, I’ve gone a step further and started to seek it out.

By the age of 21, I was a CEO, having founded the online and print magazine, gal-dem in 2015. These days I work as an author, journalist and a writer for film and TV.

Here are 3 ways that change has enhanced my career, and my life.

Change helped me find my purpose

“What do you really want to be doing?” This was the question my friends and family pushed me to ask myself a few years ago. It allowed me to discover what I wanted to do with my career.

I’d been in the world of business from such a young age, I had lost sight of the fact that nothing has to be forever. Why should it be? It’s a big world out there, with a million possibilities.

So, I stepped down as a CEO. Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing. As I transitioned to my dream of becoming a full-time writer, I realised what a long journey it was going to be.

My debut novel was five years in the making. It took many different drafts before it became the published book it is now. At one point, I tossed away twenty thousand words as I just knew they weren’t right.

But I always kept going, even when it felt near impossible. Never losing sight of my goal brought me to where I am now. I’ve just published that novel, and TV opportunities are in the works. I feel like I’m exactly where I should be.

Don’t let uncertainty about the future stop you finding your purpose or your true calling. Make sure you’re doing the thing you really want to be doing. If not, consider initiating change.

Change allowed me to work with my natural patterns of productivity

We all work differently. Some of us are more productive in the mornings, others in the evening. Some like to work straight through for 8 hours, others like to dip in and out. Discovering the way you work best, when you’re the most productive, is really important. Everybody’s journey is going to be different—so don’t worry about how anyone else is doing it.

Perhaps for you, it’s sticking to a routine. Or maybe how it looks for you is different every day, depending on your mood and energy levels. It’s such a personal thing, find what works for you and your brain.

When I moved from a busy office to working at home, I was given the opportunity to change how I worked. I trialled a lot of different methods to find one that suited me. My goal was to find the best part of the day where work would come easiest, and be the most enjoyable.

Nowadays, I know my brain is firing best in the morning. So, I schedule my work calls for then. Where possible, I reserve the afternoons for creative work or reflection, and build on the morning’s meetings. And then the evenings are all mine! I try to make them a work-free zone.

Change taught me to relinquish control

When I became an author, it was an exercise in learning to let go, to relinquish control. In order to thrive in the publishing industry you need to define, and then accept, what you can influence. The creative work is down to you. The sales are entirely out of your control.

When I accepted what was not within my control, I remembered why I wanted to be an author in the first place. I found joy in the task in front of me, rather than worrying about the outcome. I rediscovered my passion for writing and this reignited the spark I have for storytelling. The importance of our stories and how we tell them is what inspired it all in the first place.

Becoming curious about the world again felt beautiful. When you’re caught up in the day-to-day of a hectic career or business, it can be easy to forget what your initial intentions were. Going back to your original spark or idea can be really nourishing. It’s great to revisit all the reasons you wanted to make a change in the first place.

Create change

Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back; your career or business will remain static. Use change as an opportunity to shift and evolve. Remember there can be no growth without movement. It’s all about staying curious and enjoying the different variations that your work life has to offer you. Seek change in your career to stay energized and fulfilled.