Everyone tells you to explore options outside your job. But do you know why YOU want to?

This 15-minute exercise will help you figure it out

You want another option in case you lose your job. But you're not sure what to explore, or what will actually work.

And you worry if it doesn't work, you'll have wasted the little time and energy you have outside work.

So you sit in a limbo. Wanting to explore. Unable to move.

Ideas are everywhere. Clarity isn't

With layoffs happening everywhere, more and more people are suggesting you quit your 9-to-5 job to explore your whole new world.

They highlight the freedom and money you CAN have as an entrepreneur. Or, others suggest starting a side business to create multiple streams of income (and alternatives).

All great ideas except that, just because these options work for others, doesn't mean they'll work for you.

If you don't know why you want to explore, you'll end up throwing pasta at the wall, hoping something sticks. Or worse, trying to eat a big box of assorted chocolates, including the ones that aren't really your thing.

Nothing wrong if you have a lot of time to spare. Do you?

And without knowing your why, every option looks too small vs your job reward, so you hold back again.

And when things get hard (those people rarely tell you how much effort it may take), you may end up feeling worse than if you'd never tried.

If you are keen to explore more intentionally, having clarity on your WHY will help you start in a better-aligned direction. And it keeps you going when things get difficult.

Start with why. And why not

So how do you start finding your WHY?

Grab a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle.

On the left, write: Why do I want to explore? 

On the right, write: What will happen if I don't?

Set an alarm for 15 minutes. Then write. Don't edit. Don't polish. Just get whatever comes out onto the page before the alarm goes off.

Be as specific as possible.

For the left side, you can think about the positive impact on yourself, people around you, and your life in longer term. What are the gains you are after and risks you want to avoid? For the right side, you can ask the question differently: why don't I just chill and do nothing? 

Sometimes the reason you feel discomfort tells you more about your why than the why itself.

When you've filled both sides, read it back and notice the following:

1. How do you FEEL when you write on each side? Excited? Anxious? Which one gives you more energy? What does that mean to you?

   
   

2. Any words or phrases that SURPRISED you? Something you didn't realise was there?

   
   

3. What themes or PATTERNS show up on both sides?

   
   

This exercise will show the signs of your WHY now, and give you a good starting point.

If you find the reasons are not strong, you should definitely chill, stop reading, and go have some fun.

Either way, you are CHOOSING the paths that are yours.

Exploring alternatives is hard. But isn't it harder when you don't know why? And end up with no better alternative.

This is the first article on how to explore options while staying in your job. More to come.

Hope this article inspires you. If it does, do share with others because

~ WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS ~