It seemed like a fairly clear career transition when I left full time employment in 2019 to become an executive coach.

Actually this transition had been years in the making, and comprised many more significant, but less visible, pivots along the way.

Having started out as a financial services professional, I had certain values around financial security and excellence that informed my approach to transition.

I wasn't going to do anything outrageous, I had worked hard to get to where I was! I see and acknowledge this thinking in my clients too.

Here are 4 practical things I wish someone had told me / reassured me about at the start of my pivot(s):

1) Find a way to get paid early on for the thing that you are moving towards. As Cal Newport says, 'money is a great neutral indicator of value'.

You can socialise your ideas till the cows come home and depending on who you talk to, they might (wrongly) tell you it's a great idea or a terrible one.

But when someone pays you for it, you know.

I'll never forget that first £30 I got paid for coaching. I couldn't believe that someone was giving me even a nominal amount for something I thought was so much fun. Note that this was about a decade before I actually took the 'leap'

2) There's no need to regret your first path. Your past employers, your skills, capabilities and networks are incredible assets in your career pivots.

I still work with LBS and coach for KPMG, and often end up attracting other ex Goldmans or PwC clients and collaborators.

I'm grateful to have worked at these brilliant places and I like staying connected to them.

3) It is totally possible to design your own career - if you dare to create an ambitious long term vision, and put it on paper, even if you don't know the how right now.

I still remember trying to do the 'maths' on my vision and not being able to make it add up! My 10-year technology predictions were clearly inadequate.

That didn't stop me saying it out loud to my coach, putting it on paper and emailing it to my husband and best friend. Glad I did.

4) Start now with a clear vision and tiny steps in your new direction (if you need help with this, drop me a message)..

but don't put a timeframe on when you need to 'arrive'.

I wanted some of those pivots so badly at the time, and often felt impatient, but the moment of arrival was much more of a gradual dawning than a fixed point in time.

What lessons would you add here? Let me know on LinkedIn!