The Delay.

There were tons of excuses I gave myself why I had not yet taken my architect licensing exams.  

First, it was being eligible because I had to log a certain number of hours working in a professional setting.  

Then, it was because I was busy working and “I’ll get to it later.”  Rinse and repeat a few times here.

Next, it was because I was taking my other LEED Certification test.

Finally, I decided I better get serious about this and started studying…

Now the benefit of hindsight is that we can see clearly WHY things were breaking down and how to do things differently.  

And this is exactly what I want to share with you about the area in your career that you’ve been playing the long game of procrastination — a.k.a. “The Delay.”

Retrospectively, I was putting off taking my licensing exams because I didn’t want to become a licensed architect.  Seems rather plain and obvious now, but it is never so simple in the middle of the mess of delay.

I can distinctively remember having lunch with a fellow UIUC alum who was already licensed.  At this point I was reaching a higher level of dissatisfaction with my career.  And I said to her, “I just want to get my license to say I did it, but I don’t want to actually use it.”  

Hmmm… now if only I had stopped long enough to listen to my own words and understand the pain behind what was going on.  I should have stopped to ask “why is that, Michelle?!?”  

The reason I didn’t was because, to me, I was on Plan A, and to deviate from that meant catastrophe and failure.  How could I NOT get licensed?!  I have two degrees that point towards becoming an “official” architect.  This is the pinnacle of the career… the cherry on top, so to speak.

Just do me a favor and take a collective sigh with me… *deep breath in and let it out.*

What I was doing was allowing myself to continue to procrastinate on a career goal, but it was never meant to be for me!!!

The Delay in your career is pointing you to a deeper understanding of what needs to change.

Procrastination on little day-to-day tasks is a different issue and another article.  What I’m speaking to is the years of procrastination in your career.  There is a deeper root of why you haven’t yet completed that goal.

So let’s get some practical tips on the table to see if you’re dealing with this and how to make adjustments to move forward.

First, think of the “thing” you have delayed doing in your career.

Next, write down how long you’ve put it off.

If it’s less than 12 months, then it’s not “The Delay” and get going on it!  

*(Why do I know it has to be more than 12 months?  Because within a year there can be a variety of normal “life changes” that prevent a goal from happening.  i.e. adopting a child, buying a house, changing employers, etc.  These are normal blips on the road to success in achieving that goal and again, different issue, different article).

If it’s been more than 12 months and is closer to years of “I’ll get to that later…” then it qualifies.

Now, you must pause to ask yourself: “Why am I putting this off?”

• Is it resources to accomplish it?

• Is it family support to do it?

• Is it time available?

If any of these are a yes, then dig deeper.

• What if I got x,y, or z to actually get this thing done?

• What if I told my family this really matters to me and I need their support?

• What if I sacrificed social media time (or TV watching… or fill-in-the blank) and used that time to reach this goal?

Now here is the most crucial step, you must ask yourself “If I have the resources, support, and time, why do I want this?”

The answer to that will show you if the above bullet points should be addressed or if you need to re-evaluate this goal in your career.

My own answer to that question — just to get the license to say I did it and do nothing with it… spending thousands of dollars on the exams themselves, not to mention the time to get a piece of paper and stamp for …what?  There was no substance to my answer as to why I wanted it.  That answer also didn’t support the bigger question at hand, which was “why am I so dissatisfied in my career?”

This is the primary reason you have to evaluate a long delay of a career goal.  If it really mattered to you, you would: 

• Find the resources to do it.

• Communicate the importance to family and go after it no matter if they supported you or not.

• Find the time.

I spent years chasing a dream that was never supposed to be mine.  For some reason I locked onto becoming a licensed architect because I bought the whole deal when I started on that journey in college; completely ignoring warning signs along the way.

If I can save one of you from the pain of years spent in an area that you were never meant to travel, then it’s worth it.

Procrastination - on the scale of years worth of delay - is an indicator that SOMETHING big needs to change.  You don’t have to journey that road alone.  I’m here to coach you through it and bring you out of the maze so you can see clearly the way forward.