No doubt you’ve heard the term ‘forever home’ . The house you love so much, you can’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else. Well, what if you could find your ‘forever career’ ? The career that lights you up so much, you’ll never want to retire. The sad thing is most people never even consider this idea. We're conditioned at a young age to believe that work is something we have to endure - a long, hard slog until we’re almost 70 and have finally earnt the right to do stuff we enjoy. What a soul-crushing way to live! Annie Dillard once said, “How you spend your days is, of course, how you spend your life.” And, of course, she’s right. Our lives are made of years, made up of months, made up of days. And every single day is a small part of how you will have spent your life. The scary thing is that the days tick by. And quickly if you’re not careful. When I first read that quote around 15 years ago, it hit me like a brick. I had the sudden realisation that the life I wanted somewhere off in the future wasn’t going to magically create itself. My life was happening now! And I was not in the driver’s seat. Fast forward to a few months ago, I was sitting outside our villa at a holiday park where were staying with a couple we’ve known for years. We’d gone away for a few days of family fun in the school holidays. Over our morning coffee, the husband shared their goal to retire by 55. Then he turned to me and asked “When do you think you’ll retire, Anna?” I didn’t have an answer. I paused for a minute then said, “I don’t think about retirement at all because I don’t actually want to retire” That’s when I realised, I’d made it to my own ‘forever career’. I love my work 90% of the time* so why would I stop? *I won’t pretend I don’t occasionally have ‘those days’! The way I see it, the only things standing in the way of anyone finding their ‘forever career’ are 1) being aware that it’s possible, and 2) figuring out what it looks like for you and how to make the career change. I have many stories of my clients who’ve achieved satisfaction, like Paula, who changed career from Operations Manager is a small air-conditioning business to Sales Manager for Wealthi, in property investment (link to LinkedIn or testimonial) Dave, who still works in his Health and Safety role like before but is building a portfolio of passion projects in teaching, writing and connecting others through art and nature. Tim, who is shifting career from geology to consulting and teaching. You’re welcome to check out many more examples of how my clients have changed careers in my Google and LinkedIn reviews. So you can see that it’s absolutely possible. So the real challenge is figuring out what you truly want - what your ‘forever career’ is and the best way to make the change. The good news is, once you know what it is, the pull towards the new direction becomes stronger than the fear holding you back. The next step becomes obvious, and you’ll start moving forward like you’re on autopilot. And the fear? It fades away. Clarity is powerful. And here’s how you can achieve it for yourself. I break it down into six powerful steps, in my Define Your Future™ career change system. It’s counterintuitive but simple. Define Your Future™ career change system Here’s how to change to your ‘forever career’ in 6 simple steps Step 1: Explore What Makes You Tick You’re a unique mix of values, interests, strengths, and personality. To find a career you love, you need to understand these things deeply. What are you interested in? What do you enjoy? What energises you? My Clover™ model helps you answer these questions and map out your blueprint for career satisfaction on a single page. This is the critical foundation for getting your career change right first time. Step 2: Define Your Ideal Work If someone asked, “So what do you want to do?” would you have an answer? Most people don’t. This is what we define in this step, because it opens doors. I’ve seen clients land amazing opportunities just by clearly articulating an answer to this question, even at a backyard BBQ! Step 3: Brainstorm All Possible Options Here’s where you uncover all the potential career options that could be a fit for you. We use four specific methods, and tap into the most up-to-date data sources, AI methods, and LinkedIn (with its membership base of over 1 billion users). We leave no stone unturned, and we’ll uncover options you never even knew existed! Step 4: Evaluate Objectively Here’s where we compare the options and see how they stack up against each other. Comparing them, ‘apples with apples’ you’ll see how many of your boxes each idea ticks. And something magical happens – most of the options will fall away and the best fit career will become obvious. Step 5: Decide and Design With clarity and confidence, you decide on your path forward and set to designing your career to create the lifestyle you want. We look at different ways of transitioning, combining roles, and making sure your career works for you, even if your needs change over time so you’ll be totally in-sync, not making more sacrifices. Step 6: Take Action Once you’ve found your direction, and defined how you’re going to make the career change, the next step is to simply put it into a plan of action. Noting down exactly what you need to do, and how you’re going to do it, so you can focus all your energy on moving forward and making it a reality. You’ll see how the momentum builds fast when you’re aligned and excited! So there is a process for career change. And having guided over 240 clients to more satisfying futures, I can tell you it’s a lot more simple than you think. When you break down each step into bitesize pieces and follow them one by one, you really can’t go wrong. So ask yourself. If you spent your remaining days, months and years of your life doing what you’re doing now, How would you feel about how you spent your life? Is it time to find your ‘forever career’? If this resonates with you - if you’re tired of feeling stuck, and you know there’s something more out there - then I’ve created something to help. 👉 Watch my free training video where I walk you through the Define Your Future™ system in more detail, and show you exactly how to start mapping your own path to meaningful, energising work. Then book a time to talk to me directly about how you can achieve this for yourself. Your ‘forever career’ is waiting. Let’s find it.

A guy reached out to me on LinkedIn interested in what I do. I called him and we had the most engaging conversation. I know the pain points of people who are dissatisfied with their careers. Everyone is a little different, but the shared experiences are very similar. There are always common themes. But every now and then, someone will articulate the challenges in a new way. This particular gentleman has been in his current role for around 5 years. He's not feeling challenged or motivated and there are no new opportunities for him within his current organisation. No "glimmer of hope", as he put it. So he's been applying for roles externally. Each one has something that interests him to a degree. But each only has the scope to be an incremental improvement on where he is now. Perhaps a little more responsibility. Or a little more money. But they would still lead to, in his words "a mediocre life". This stopped me in my tracks. *Click to read more* Immediately, it became immediately clear that this was a guy who wants more from life. He wants to do something extraordinary and not settle for a job that pays a little more, or gives him a little more kudos. He wants to make a difference. Doing something he loves. Building something of value. A legacy, even. Not everyone feels this way. Some people are content with a job that pays the bills and allows you to work with a decent bunch of people. There's a lot to be said for being able to feel satisfied with what you have. So while 'mediocre' is a loaded word. The question I have for you is genuine. Are you content with what you have? An OK job which pays the bills. Or do you have that fire in your belly making you crave more? That knowing what you're truly capable of if you focussed your efforts on one thing? An extraordinary life. Anna is a Career Counsellor, Program Creator and ex-Geophysicist. She spent 14 years in the corporate mining world before doing a U-turn towards the work she finds most meaningful. After completing a Master of Career Development, earning her stripes in the university environment, she built her private practice. Now Anna now guides other mid-career professionals through the process of self-discovery to find a career which lights them up. She offers a free Zoom call to help professionals who are feeling stuck and confused about their career path to take the next step. She also has a free online webinar where you can learn more about her process and client stories, "How to discover, with 100% confidence, the best career for you". Or you’re welcome to email me Anna anna@strategiccc.com.au for more information.

Before I had kids, I saw motherhood as an obstacle to overcome in my career. But a simple comment from my mum shifted my perspective and inspired me to completely change my path

Brianna shares her first-hand experience of how her father's career change positively impacted the whole family in so many ways. His role-modelling of the importance of having a career which makes you happy is inspiring.

Does the advice 'just follow your passion' leave you floundering? Society has an obsession with finding and following passion, which is immensely frustrating for the majority of people who don't know what theirs is! I felt the same until I realised this simple fact about where passion comes from.