At the beginning of 2024, I declared that I was ready to change careers and transition out of training. Little did I know that six months later, I would face the worst moment of my life: my mother passed away after a brief illness. In 2025, I was even more desperate to change careers because my work environment was so dull, unmotivating, and uninspiring.

I applied for jobs left and right, but I didn’t hear back because I lacked experience for most jobs, and I became discouraged. I would do well on assessments, but once I answered that I did not have experience, I would not hear back.

In the summer of 2025, I mourned a future that could have been had I not settled for training as my career. Aside from the lack of financial security, there are numerous drawbacks, such as no benefits, no peers or mentorship, no upward professional mobility, and difficulty pivoting to other industries. At this moment, if I had a do-over, I would have quit training at least ten years ago.

I am open to the idea that there is a reason I stayed in this career for so long. Since life can only be understood looking back rather than forward, I have not connected the dots to why I stayed with training for so long. There may be a reason I am still doing this career, but that remains to be discovered.

Mindset Matters Most

Mindset matters most. How we make decisions is no exception. Making decisions from a place of fear, desperation, and lack is the fastest way to regret. I was making my decisions about my career transition from this place, and it would have led me to the same place of settling and regret.

Fear

My decisions about my career transition were fear-based. I was afraid I would be stuck training forever. This fear would have intensified as I received more rejection emails, and I would have settled for the first job that said yes, even if it was misaligned with what I wanted, because I was afraid nothing better would come along.

Desperation

We have all known the person who is so desperate to find a husband or wife that they settle for a partner who would have been completely unacceptable if they were in a healthier frame of mind. Desperation lowers our standards and leads us to believe that something is better than nothing.

I know that I have outgrown training, but that doesn’t mean that I have to get super desperate and settle for any job that isn’t training.

Lack

Merriam-Webster defines lack as being deficient or missing something. I felt a deep sense of lack in my life, and I figured a new job with peers, possible mentorship, financial incentives, intellectual stimulation, the chance to build a professional network, and possibly a social network would help fill those voids.

The real problem wasn’t just getting a new job. I lacked proper alignment in my personal life and meaningful connections with my village. A job can’t fill the lack of deep, meaningful connections with the people that are closest to you. Jobs can serve as a distraction, yes, but they can’t fill those deep voids.

A Complete Mindset Shift

For the Second Quarter, I am making decisions in the mindset of faith, peace, and abundance

Faith

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want will happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead. (Hebrews 11:1) (TLB)

It’s already done

Excuse me while I get spiritual on you. It’s already done. I know it, and I sense it. What I want to happen is already done. I have said since the beginning of the year that I have already moved on in my head, but reality is slow to catch up. I have shifted internally, but circumstances haven’t yet.

Since the beginning of March, I have felt a tremendous shift, and it’s only gotten stronger. My circumstances haven’t really changed because real substantive, transformative, and sustainable change is slow as molasses.

One of the main reasons change is so slow, and why we cannot see what is happening behind the scenes, is that we will be out of the way, allowing everything to cook. Otherwise, we will be trying to control the change or sabotage ourselves. When a major change is looming, sometimes it is best to lie low and let it cook.

Peace

I am high-strung, but major change requires a foundation of peace.  Peace does not mean an absence of problems. It means that we’re not making decisions from a place of agitation, worry, or anxiety. It means making decisions from a place of calm.

When I was desperately trying to find a new job, it was due to regret, agitation, worry, and anxiety. All I could think about was all of the wasted years, the financial and professional screwjob I had done on myself, and how much I regretted settling for my career choice. I still do think about these things, but I’ve also forgiven myself.

The intention is not to settle this time around regarding career choice, and that comes from a place of self-reflection, self-acceptance, and self-compassion.

Abundance

This is the world’s worst economy, and we are in uncertain times, but I believe that is where the opportunities lie.

“They aren’t lesser men. These are lesser times.” – Al Hunt, Co-host of Politics War Room Podcast

Now is the time for forward and creative thinkers. It’s also time to replace ineffective leaders. Lesser times create ineffective leaders who lead their people right into the ditch. As a society, we are coming to the ditch if we haven’t already gotten there. I think there is a real opportunity for those with actual leadership ability to take center stage over the next 12 months.

How we make decisions is just as important as the decisions themselves. I am still planning to transition out of training, but I am also. open to that transition, looking different from what I have imagined.

My work environment has changed from dull, unmotivating, and uninspiring to vibrant, inspiring, and motivating. I could continue training part-time in an environment like that for years to come!

My life motto is, Don’t settle for the short stick, and making decisions from a place of fear, desperation, and lack is the formula for doing so.

My word for 2026 is alignment, and faith, peace, and abundance are the values I am aligned with for my career decisions and the major life decisions to come.