Inflection points in your career (like a promotion opportunity or job loss) often evoke feelings of ambivalence: the experience of positive and negative emotions at the same time. Ambivalence can feel uncomfortable, but you can use it to your advantage when faced with a big decision. Start by taking time to reflect. Approach your complex feelings with curiosity—not judgment—to identify what you feel and why. You might ask yourself a series of questions to unpack your feelings and jot down some notes. Make sure to relieve some pressure—if you can, give yourself a deadline that isn’t in the immediate future and allows you to devote time and energy to listening to your emotions and considering your options. Finally, remind yourself that no decision is permanent. Whatever you decide, it’s just “for now.” The beauty of most career decisions is that they’re often reversible, or at least recoverable, and there will always be another chapter to your career down the line.
This tip is adapted from “Embrace Ambivalence When Making Big Career Decisions,” by Brianna Barker Caza et al.
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