Should You Take the Left or Right Fork? How to Make a Hard Career Decision

There are times in our lives when we arrive at a crossroads, and we find ourselves wondering which career path to take.

And because career decisions can change your life for better or worse, deciding can be a burden.

Deliberating can create anxiety, stress and send us round and round in circles.

Making important life decisions doesn’t have to be all-consuming. Instead, it can (and should) be exhilarating and exciting.

With a few shifts in your approach, you can exchange the exhausting head games for a more peaceful, enjoyable process that will lead you on the path to success.

Here are three things to consider as you approach the big fork in your road.

ONE.  Check whether or not a decision needs to be made at this moment in time.

Often we get a bit ahead of ourselves when making big decisions.  We think that there is a decision to make before there is one.

I can’t tell you how often I have had these theoretical conversations with people about whether they should take a role when they are only on the first round of interviews.  

Watch that you are not wasting precious energy on deliberating over a decision that doesn’t need to be made when you could be using it for your interview preparation.

It’s ok to wonder and check how you feel along the way, but allowing it to consume you is a waste of time. 

TWO. First, ask your head. Then, ask your heart.

The chances are that you will already be looking at your decision rationally – with a logical, left-brain approach that dominates our culture in the west.

Your left brain is the part of you that wants to make a pros and cons list.  

It’s okay to do this. But then carve out some time to ask your heart what it feels.  

Your heart represents the emotional side of you: your subconscious, intuitive part, often linked with our long term purpose.  It is like another brain and just as valid as your mind. 

Both can give you clues.  Notice what each one is saying.

One client, Jane, is recovering from a contract that she took just over a year ago that knocked her confidence.  As we looked back over her decision-making process for choosing the job, she realised that ‘something didn’t sit right’, but she allowed her rational head to override her intuition.  

Through this experience, Jane has learned that in deciding her next role, she needs to involve her heart because how she feels directly impacts her level of engagement and fulfilment.

THREE. Think of someone who inspires you. What would they say?

Sometimes, we need to step back and look from a different perspective.  

Gaining someone else’s view — someone you hold in high regard — can shine a light on the answer.  

So, grab a pen and paper and answer the following questions without overthinking.  

• Who in the world do you most admire?
• What do you admire most about them?
• What would they say which fork to take?
• What new powerful insights are you gaining?

How Charlie found a way through his dilemma…

A few years back, my client Charlie had two job offers – one working as a consultant for a top management consulting firm and another to create a non-profit organisation for children living in poverty.  

Charlie was concerned about making the right choice, mainly as he had just emerged from a role that hadn’t worked out.  

We waited till he had both job offers on the table and then explored each through the lens of his head and then his heart. 

We also got an outsider’s perspective from a mentor who he highly respected.  

Charlie realised that although the consultant role would offer him a better salary and a sense of prestige, his heart was excited by the possibilities of starting a charity off the bat. 

Imagining what his mentor would say, he felt encouraged to take a risk and go for job satisfaction over higher pay. 

Charlie is still growing the charity which is now in its seventh year with ten sites across the south of England.  He loves the work he does and doesn’t carry any regrets about his decision.   He knows he is right where he is meant to be.

Reduce the headspin and allow the way forward to become clear.

In summary, if you are deliberating over which fork to take in the road:

1. Consider whether there actually IS a decision to make at this moment in time.
2. Check in with your head AND your heart.
3. Step back and think of someone who inspires you and what they would say.

These steps will reduce anxious head spinning and enhance your perspective.  A sound way forward will emerge, bringing excitement about your future.    

Do you have an important decision to make about your next career move?  Are you going round in circles trying to decide?

Sometimes, we get so stuck in our heads, to the point where we can’t see the wood from the trees.  Having an outsider who is objective and not invested in the outcome can be so helpful in decision making.

I love helping people gain clarity and peace about their next move, so if you need some help to untie the knot, why not give me a call, and we can work out a plan to find the way forward.

Private message me or visit MarianneWelshCoaching.com.