As humans, we constantly strive to balance our two states – the being and doing.

The Being is who you are and includes self-reflection and developing awareness of yourself, your thought patterns, behaviors, etc.

The Doing is what you do and includes the actions you take and the plans you put in place, etc.

Personal and professional development requires engaging both the being and the doing. Self-reflection and self-awareness are key before an individual can take intentional actions toward their goals. They are intertwined.

Taking action without awareness can potentially take you down the wrong paths. Self-awareness without action will not push you forward towards the goals you want to achieve.

Many career counseling clients come to us seeking a change in their careers or lives. Most are predisposed to want to take action.

What can I do differently?
What should I be doing?
Here is what I’m doing; what am I missing?

They want to “do”. Doing is important.

However, it cannot be done without considering the being side.

Who are you? Who do you want to be?
How do you want to feel? What are your values?
How is your life and career in alignment or out of alignment with those?

This self-reflection is necessary so that the actions you take are intentional and in alignment with who you are.

Jumping to the doing side typically feels good. We can cross things off our list. It feels like we are making progress. Oftentimes it is easier. These are tangible steps we can easily wrap our mind around.
They make sense to us.

Oftentimes, the being side is not as easy.

It brings up emotions and thoughts in us that have been set for a very long time. It can take a lot of internal work to uncover these old stories, old patterns, and old beliefs. It can take even longer to rewire our brains – to create the new stories – to reshape our old patterns.

It can feel overwhelming and difficult.

It can take a long time without feeling as though you are making visible progress. That’s what makes it so easy to then shift back to the doing.

That feels better.

It feels like we are making progress. In many cases we are getting external validation that we are making progress, i.e. a job interview, a promotion, etc. However, the being side doesn’t go away. The work that needs to be done is still there.

Remember that two sides need addressing when you are looking to make a change in your life. There needs to be a balance to both of them.

If you are feeling drawn to the doing, doing, doing; stop and ask yourself what inner work needs to be addressed. If you find yourself stuck in the being side; you may need to engage a friend, family member or professional to help you move out of that stuck place into some doing work.

Engaging both the being and doing sides will help you make your career change.