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Maybe you’re tired of being on site. Perhaps you’re exhausted by making sales calls to fill hotel rooms. Whatever your role is in the meetings and events industry, the everyday responsibilities can feel so heavy that you don’t want to go to the office in the morning. Lynne Wellish, CMP, CHSE, CHO, hospitality educator with Triage Meetings and Events and career consultant, believes it’s never too late to start over. Wellish spoke to us in advance of her PCMA webinar, “Don’t Retire — Move Into Your Next Career”, to share how veterans in the events industry can reinvent themselves and embrace career changes.
If you feel it may be time to move on with your professional life, consider these three tips, and register for the webinar for more advice from Wellish on March 15 at 1:00 pm. CDT.
1) The First Step Is the Most Difficult to Take.
According to a 2017 study from Gallup, more than half of American workers are not engaged at work. However, feeling less-than-enthusiastic about your daily agenda doesn’t always create enough motivation to seek a change. Wellish calls that complacency Failure to Launch syndrome. “Failure to Launch syndrome refers to the fact that many of us would rather be uncomfortable where we are because the fear of moving forward makes us more uncomfortable,” Wellish said.
“It can be really hard to dip a toe in the water and try something new,” she admitted. “You have your personal ego involved, and you have financial obligations. But you have to put yourself out there with an understanding that you don’t know what direction your career will take or who will call you next for your wisdom.”
2) Starting Over Is One of Your Strengths.
Feeling like a new beginning sounds like a potential nightmare? Don’t sweat it. Your career has most likely already given you the title of “Master of New Beginnings.” You just might not realize it.
“As meeting and event professionals, we are really good at starting over,” Wellish said. “You’re always working with a new committee, a new venue, or a new destination. There is always some dimension that is not a constant, and all of those variables help you understand how to approach a new beginning.”
3) Don’t Rely on Yourself.
If you’ve been stuck in the same box, you may not recognize all your talents, which will limit your search for a new adventure. “Think about the one thing that people ask you to do all the time,” Wellish said. “You may not even realize it’s a skill set, so it’s important to ask your most trusted friends and colleagues what they think you do best.”
Interested in seeing what else is out there in the business events industry? Click here to visit PCMA’s Career Center.