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Consider Shifting to a New Field

What if you weren't supposed to win—or even work—in your field? Could you shift gears? There's a Garth Brooks song that goes, “Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” I've heard this sentiment expressed as “Rejection is God's protection.” It may be that the universe is sending you a message: that you're not built for the job you seek.

Could you consider abandoning the field you've dreamed of working in? Could you entertain such a seismic shift in your thinking—and actions? You'd be dealing with the difference between being committed to something and being attached to it. In the former case, you're willing to do whatever you have to do to succeed. In the latter instance, you've given yourself no alternative—you have to succeed. There is simply no alternative.

It's possible you'll discover that you really do want to continue in the field you've chosen. In that case, you'll need to recommit to it and create new strategies to reach your goal. But maybe it's time to take stock, realize you've done your best, and it just isn't working. Maybe you need to try something else—something new.

If so, don't disparage yourself or feel as if you're a failure. So much in life is how we frame or spin things. Rather than label yourself in a negative manner, how about creating and owning an interpretation that says, “I tried it, I gave the effort a sufficient amount of time to develop, but it didn't work. The most sober, intelligent, and businesslike decision to make was to try something new.” Businesses do this all the time—and you're a business too, right? As General Douglas MacArthur once put it, “We are not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction.”