6 Steps to a Professional Reinvention

6 Steps to a Professional Reinvention 6 Steps to a Professional Reinvention If necessity is the mother of invention, misery might be the mother of reinvention. When youre leid happy at work, that unhappiness can cloud not only your 9-5 workday, but also your evenings and weekends.Financial responsibilities may make it difficult to up and quit your job, but that doesnt mean you have to stay in an unsatisfying career. Follow these six steps below to reinvent yourself1. Accept That Youll Need to Take a Step BackwardsIts not easy to walk away from a healthy paycheck or the solid professional reputation you spent years cultivating. To see if taking a temporary hit is worth it, complete a cost-benefit analysis of staying where you are vs. making a change.Dont be shortsighted. Consider the long-term gains.2. Look Into Programs That Can Help You Find Training and EmploymentTraining programs such as General Assemblyor Lynda.comoffer extensive training and certification in a variety of disci plines, including in-demand skill sets like coding, online marketing, and user experience design. Many of these training programs also offer career placement assistance.3.Make a Plan and Commit to ItThe lure of change can cloud your judgement. If youre not sure where you want to go, you may not be ready to make a change. Do some soul-searching to determine if youre capable of committing to the hard work of making a change.If the answer is yes, make aplan of attack, and stick to it to ensure your desired changes become reality.4. Surround Yourself With SupportThe people in your life may not share a unanimous consensus on your desire to make a professional change. For every rolle who tells you to go after what you really want, four others will share all the reasons you shouldnt make a change.Keep in mind that everyone likely means well. Your friends and family members who are discouraging you may have many valid points. However, if youve decided that youre willing to go through a peri od of struggle to come out happier on the other side, stay strong. You will get through it. Keep a list of how the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term struggle so you can reference it when need be. Surround yourself with people who energize and support you. You will need all the energy you have to focus on creating a professional life you love.5. Find a MentorThe best support often comes from people who havebeen in your shoes. Use yournetworking skills to connect with people who have traveled similar paths of reinvention. Ask for their advice.If youre lucky, youll find someone who really gets you and is ready to be a mentor. Having an impartial partyto act as your sounding board goes a long way. A mentorwill improve your mood and help you stay focused, even during times of doubt.6. Become What You Want to BeWe label ourselves, and those labels shape what we see as possible. In reality, were more than any single label or job title.If youre an accountant longing to be a wr iter, departure writing call yourself a writer working as an accountant. Make the mental shift to start owning who you are and who you want to be. Youll find it freeing to identify as what you want to be instead of what you just so happen to be.A version of this article originally appeared on theAtrium Staffing blog.Michele Mavi isAtrium Staffings resident career expert.