The reality is that you will either have the good fortune to bow out on your own terms, or the decision will be made for you.

This summer will see the end of many a footballing career. During the transfer window, some players will sign lucrative deals and be lauded by media and fans alike. But there’s another side of the coin. What happens to the players whose contracts are not renewed, who have suffered a career-threatening injury, or who are simply getting too old to continue playing at a professional level?

Following retirement, you may wake up not knowing what you want to do with the day, let alone with the rest of your life. So, what can you do now to prepare for the next stage? Follow these five tips to create the retirement of your dreams:

• Cultivate self-awareness

In Western society, our self-esteem is often tied to what we do rather than who we are. Consistent with this, when you hang up your boots for the last time, everything that made you feel good about yourself will be cast aside.

Before that day arrives, consider your strengths. What do you do well? How can you use your strengths to your advantage and in an area you’re passionate about? Long before retirement, you should start looking for other ways to boost your self-esteem outside of sports to gain a balanced perspective on your personality, values, and future goals.

• Take control

We all want to feel at least some degree of control over our lives and have the autonomy to make our own free choices. If you’re forced into retirement on account of an injury or age, then you don’t have any control over that decision.

My best advice is to not leave it all to fate. Accept that you will have to retire at some point and start planning now. Doing so will give you a sense of direction and control that you can hold onto long after your final game. In fact, planning for a career after sport may actually improve your athletic performance in the interim.

• Know what’s important to you

Without sugar-coating it, after retirement you might feel as though you’ve lost your family. After all, you’ve literally been kicked out of the locker room from one day to the next. The same fans who once begged for your signature no longer give you a second glance. Not surprisingly, many former athletes end up feeling lost, lonely, and as though their best years are behind them.

That’s why it’s vital to know what you want in life, what you value, and to be clear on your future goals. Above all, seek out new experiences that are personally meaningful and rewarding.

• Grow your support network

As an athlete, you’re connected to your team, your fans, and feel a strong sense of belonging. In a word, you’re never alone. After retirement, unless you have a very supportive family or circle of friends, you’re likely to feel a significant void.

Surround yourself with the right people throughout your professional career, rather than relying on hangers-on and teammates to boost you in the end.

• Make time for hobbies

For many athletes, nothing compares to the adrenaline rush they experience when they cross the finish line or score the winning goal. And perhaps nothing ever will.

However, if you pursue other hobbies and interests throughout your career, you’ve got a much better chance of finding pleasure again. It’s also worth emphasizing that you can still enjoy the game post-retirement.

No matter your career stage, retirement is inevitable and you need to take responsibility for it. Embracing this can help you to prepare for your life after sport. Although the transition may be challenging, following these five steps will help you on your way.

The post Athletes Beware: Avoid the “Superman Syndrome” by Planning for Retirement appeared first on Career After Sport.

• Challenges faced when changing career
• Useful tips for anyone confronted with a career change
• Transferable skills
• Similarities (and differences) between the business world and the world of sport
• Transition from sport into a “normal” life

Listen to the interview HERE

If you are interested in speaking to me about your own career challenge, feel free to email me at julie@sc-careertransition.com to set up a call.

The post Transition, Change and Career Reorientation (even for Sports Stars) appeared first on Career After Sport.

Struggling to come to terms with a loss of identity

Most athletes or sports stars go through the same identity crisis when they retire because your identity is so closely linked to what you’d been doing in the past. There is a famous quote about athletes dying twice, the first time at retirement. Sadly too often we hear of ex-athletes facing mounting debt, divorce, depression, unemployment and even alcohol or substance abuse because of their struggle to come to terms with their new situation.

How to move on

Any major career change requires preparation and adjustment to ensure a smooth transition, irrespective of whether you have decided to make the move yourself or it has been forced upon you. It is unlikely that you will be able to turn the page without some guidance. So how do we adjust?

There are many things you can do to help transition. Research shows that building resilience, goal setting, social support and self-confidence are essential ingredients of any transition. Career planning before the change takes place is also beneficial. But for me, the one thing that really helped was finding out what makes me tick.

By understanding my key driver I was able to adapt my environment, my goals and my direction to fit who I was and what I needed to do to feel fulfilled again.

Career anchors: what are they?

Based on extensive research, Edgar H. Schein identified categories of career anchors combining your perceived areas of competence, motives and values including such things as technical competence, autonomy and dedication to a cause. Your career anchor is the one thing that you would not give up if you faced a career decision that might not allow you to fulfil it. It provides a clear concept of what you are good at, what you value and what motivates you. Such information helps you make choices.

Being able to identify what anchor was important in my life was the basis for moving forward. It was my ‘aha’ moment. Try googling Edgar Schein to find out more or even think about completing a Motivational Map, an online tool which uses the career anchor as a base. If you are facing a transition this knowledge may help you.

Next steps: what else can you do?

Understanding your anchor alone will not guarantee a successful career transition. But it is a good place to start. Combine it with the essential ingredients I mentioned earlier and you are on the right track. Finding an expert who can assist you with the transition will further help. So can identifying a role model.

I know from personal experience that such transitions aren’t easy. Moving on will take time. But by investing the time to reflect on yourself and your future, you will get to understand who you are and how to go forward.

As for me, the grapes were the defining moment in my career transition. By understanding that the change in circumstances had significantly impacted my identity, I started on my own journey of self-discovery. I was fortunate enough to change career, remaining true to my values and purpose. I did return to the business world but on my own terms and conditions. And, whilst I have done my best to be a good mother, I have never prepared fish topped with grapes for my children again.

If you feel like you’ve lost your identity or need some guidance during a career transition, give me a call for an informal chat about how I could help you move on.

The post Loss of identity – how I coped with a career change appeared first on Career After Sport.

John has no idea what to do next – or who he really is. Without football he has no identity and no future, or at least that is how he feels now.

John is not alone. All sports stars, and most people for that matter, have to change careers at some point in their lives – whether it is through injury, redundancy, family commitments or retirement.

How you’ll cope depends on your mind set and how you approach your situation. I’ve helped many former athletes and sports stars to find new opportunities and move on from a career in sports.

Here are 3 steps to help you find a new career

Step 1: Find out what drives you

Do you know what motivates you? What did you enjoy about playing football or doing whatever you were doing? Was it the money, the status, or interaction with your team-mates? Perhaps it was the power, the fans, the team spirit or the physical challenge? If you can identify what it was you really loved about your former career, it will be much easier to aim for the same highs in your next career, whatever it may be.

Take time out to think about your past experiences. What made the difference? What do you need to be happy? If you could repeat one thing, what would it be?

Step 2: Hang out with the right crowd

Surround yourself with the right people. But that doesn’t always mean the nicest. Make sure your support group is well balanced. You want people who love you for who you are – even when you’re no longer a super star. But you should also not shy away from people who challenge you to step out of your comfort zone. You need objective people who can help you without any personal interest or conflict as well as role models, people you can look up to, people who have already been through what you’re experiencing.

Steer clear of anyone who puts you down or enjoys seeing you struggle. Constructive criticism is fine, but you don’t want to be dragged down.

Step 3: Set goals – start small

Goals push you to achieve your objectives and give you confidence, whether in sport or in business. Goal-setting gives you something to aim for, a direction, and also provides focus and structure.

So even if you don’t know what you want to do, start small. Set your goals for tomorrow or next week.

Put aside a few hours to start thinking about what makes you tick and you will discover that your journey into the future has already started.

Few people like change. Transitions are always challenging and can be very distressing. If you need more guidance, contact me for an informal chat about how I could help you through the process.

Find out more about the Athlete Career Transition Programme here.

The post Career change after sport – 3 easy steps to finding a new career appeared first on Career After Sport.