️Nominate a navigator + rest, invest to progress

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about … temperature scarves.

These knitting or crocheting projects involve adding a row per week to a scarf (or blanket) in the color that matches the temperature range. Over time you wind up with a gradual gradations from winter’s blues through the yellows of spring into the red-orange of summer, and back to cooler temps in fall.

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There are a few reasons I like these scarves:

• A week’s work by itself doesn’t seem like much, but over time it creates something much larger;
• There is beauty in variety;
• And even when it seems like not much is changing, given enough time major shifts happen.

When we apply this thinking to our professional lives, the cooler colors show periods when we rest and invest in our work, while the brighter colors represent those moments when we can point to concrete progress and products we’ve made.

Week by week and row by row, our work creates its own story. We also need to embrace different seasons instead of continually pushing to do more, more, more. In those cool blues I see phases of slowing down and considering where I can best invest my time and energy to make my work shine more brightly when the time comes.

You can’t have one without the other. I used to think that the invest periods meant I wasn’t succeeding in my work. Now I see that without taking that time, I’m less equipped to make progress and even run the risk of burning out.

If you’re feeling stuck, lost or uncertain, give yourself permission to slow down and take a breath before you plunge into what’s next. Sometimes progress requires us to pause for a moment, to better prepare ourselves when the time comes to move forward. Those high points — on the thermometer and in life — will come again, in time.

Now open: navigator nominations

Right now I’m in an invest season and looking to stock up for my future work by finding more professionals to share their experiences with career transitions for our Navigator Q&A series.

You or someone you know could be a featured navigator if:

• You’ve faced uncertainty or the unexpected in your career
• You’re willing to chat with me about it

Navigators receive a full year’s free full-access subscription to Explore Your Career River. If you agree to it, we may host a webinar with a Q&A; otherwise you’ll just share your story with me 1:1. Either option is great!

And just for submitting a nomination, you’ll instantly receive an invite to a free seat at our next Q&A webinar.

Fight imposter syndrome! I guarantee you have valuable insights to share, so don’t listen to that little voice saying your experience isn’t important for any reason. We can all learn from and support each other. The LinkedIn celebration parade is only part of the story, and I’m committed to uncovering the struggles we all face in finding professional fulfillment. Sharing your story means others will feel less alone. So if you’re wondering whether to sign up for a chat, don’t ask yourself: “is my story worth sharing?” but “could my experience help even one other person?”

Become a tributary for others’ career journeys and apply or nominate a friend:

Happy navigating,
Bridget

Explore Your Career River is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.