46: How faith can guide your career change

Whether you’re feeling stuck, curious about a new field, or dealing with the ups and downs of a career switch, you can make spirituality part of your journey. 

We revisit a chat with author and life coach Nancy Gavilanes, who shares how your faith can guide you through a career change.  

“You need faith to have patience, persevere, and not give up,” says Nancy. 

Episode Highlights

• The spiritual component of making a career change
• Listen to that stirring in your heart
• Advice if you’re feeling stuck
• Using faith to deal with uncertainty and doubts
• Taking a leap of faith
• Trust the process
• Living in the now
• 3 ways to include spirituality in your career change

Find Nancy Gavilanes at:

Website: www.aboundingfaith.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/aboundingfaith

X/Twitter: twitter.com/AboundInFaith

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AboundInFaith

Podcast: Abounding Faith for Today Podcast 

Amazon: Nancy Gavilanes Author Page  

Join Abounding Faith's email community and get access to a free gift: https://www.aboundingfaith.com/community/

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Transcript

Lixandra: Hi, everyone. I'm Lixandra Uresta, and this is Career Switch Podcast. This show is here to encourage you to take action with whatever career change you've been considering or are working on. In some episodes, I talk to people who've made their own career switch, whether by choice or circumstance. They share the good, the bad, and the truth about their journey, including what worked for them and what didn't. In other episodes, I speak with experts who offer their best career advice on issues that can come up during the process of making a career change. After all, it takes guts to switch things up, and it's not easy. However, it is possible. 

So, I hope you hear something in this episode, an idea, a suggestion, a piece of wisdom that'll spur you into action with your own career switch, whether it's taking that first bold step or trying something new. Welcome. I'm glad you're here. 

A few months ago, I saw a LinkedIn post that caught my eye. Christian author and speaker Nancy Gavilanes posted offering her services as a life coach. It got me thinking, what role can faith play in making a career switch? After all, any part of a career switch is a risk. Going back to school, switching industries, starting your own business, moving to a different location for a new career. We're investing time, money, and energy. So, doesn't making a career switch require faith? Faith in ourselves, in the steps we're taking, in the future, and perhaps even faith in something bigger than us? I invited Nancy to be a guest and asked her these questions. In this episode, Nancy shares how our faith, whatever it may be, definitely can play a role in making a career switch. And she offers advice on how you can make your faith part of your journey. 

Hi, Nancy, thanks for joining us today. Your LinkedIn post where you offered your Christian life coaching services caught my attention. It really got me thinking about the many components of making a career switch. In other episodes, we've covered the mental and emotional part of making a career switch. And I think it's also important to cover the spiritual side. With this in mind, let's talk about faith. And by faith, we're referring to whichever faith someone practices. What role can faith play when making a career switch? Don't we need some kind of faith in ourselves and the steps we're taking and even faith in something bigger than us when we're working on a career switch?

Nancy: Absolutely. Yes, faith plays an important role. We needed to dream big and to believe that God has a plan and purpose for us and that he's given us gifts and talents and abilities. And so it's so important to trust that God sees the big picture and he knows where we are. And it's so important to ask him for direction and ask him what it is that he wants us to do with our life. So, especially for somebody who's listening, who is feeling that calling, that purpose, that stirring in their heart, Maybe they're feeling unfulfilled where they are right now. I would encourage them not to ignore that, but to explore it. Maybe that stirring is just a hobby, but maybe it's something else. Maybe it really is time to make a career switch. And so if you find yourself working on things during your off hours, on your days off, on your weekends, if there really is this call, this purpose, this mission that you're feeling drawn to, I would say to follow that.

Lixandra: You yourself felt a stirring in your heart while you were working in the corporate world.

Nancy: I was the little girl who was writing in her diary and making little mini magazines out of loose leaf paper at home. So I love the idea of writing and journalism. And I actually did go on to study journalism, but I still felt unfulfilled. I felt God calling me to something. I didn't understand it back then, but looking back, I see that that was a turning point in my life, in my career. And so I went on to teach and to do communications. And now even what I'm doing today, faith plays a big role. And so I want to encourage anyone who's feeling that stirring to not dismiss it.

Lixandra: But so many of us do dismiss that stirring, don't we? Because we think it's silly or that a career switch is unattainable.

Nancy: Yeah, well, an example is like, say, how many people go into the financial field or law, or they become engineers, and they realize that it's not quite the field that they wanted. You know, we're always so young when we choose our career in our field. And so over the years, we learn, we grow, we mature, we have different passions and interests. And so You may have gone into one career because your family expected that of you, or society said that that was the way to go, and now you're feeling unfulfilled and stuck. And so I want to encourage that person to really explore, to do some soul searching, to pray and see, is it just that you're having a bad week, you're having a tough time with your boss, your coworkers, or is it because you really are being called to different fields?

Lixandra: Something that makes people hesitate is that they could have this amazing job with a great salary. What would you say to someone who's feeling stuck because they have what appears to be a great job. However, they're still unfulfilled.

Nancy: I want to encourage that person to, if you right now, if you're listening and you're feeling stuck, I want to encourage you not to be depressed or discouraged. There's a reason for that. And where you are right now, you are gaining skills. You're gaining life experience. You're meeting people who may be able to help you in that next chapter. Say you're feeling drawn to open a restaurant, let's say. I want to encourage you to explore that. Is it just a hobby? Or really, is it that you love food, that people really compliment that food, that you've got an entrepreneur spirit in you? I want to encourage you to pray about it and to explore that.

Lixandra: Let's use that example of wanting to open a restaurant. That's a huge endeavor. It requires taking out loans, renting a space, hiring a staff, and all the other steps involved. It's risky. It's a risk that you're taking since you don't know how it's going to turn out, which is part of making a career switch. How can faith help with this uncertainty?

Nancy: Well, it could encourage you to remember that God created you for a purpose and a plan. He sees the big picture we just see today and this chapter, but he sees the beginning from the end and he's wired you a certain way. And so your faith is going to play a role when the obstacles and challenges come, when it takes longer than you expect, when things are not lining up. But I'd like to say it is that leap of faith because it's trusting God and his plan. and trusting him day by day. So if we are looking so far off in the future, we missed today and taking those small steps. So it's really just saying, I may not have the whole plan, but what's something I can do today?

Lixandra: Now, when we first spoke, you also said that you shouldn't even look at a career switch as a risk.

Nancy: Can you tell us more about that? Yeah, it is answering that call. Like if you really feel like God's calling you to a certain purpose, mission, cause that's stirring, that just won't go away, maybe something that you've had since childhood or even as you were going into your field, then it's not so much a risk. Maybe it's a calculated risk, but it is that leap of faith, trusting that God is going to help you through step by step. There's a process. He has great plans for you and he will walk you through it.

Lixandra: Nancy, how can we rely on faith when a career switch can take weeks, months or years? For example, going back to school to get a master's can take at least two years.

Nancy: You need faith to have patience and to persevere and to persist and to not give up. You know, when the challenges do come, You may be tempted to quit when the doubts do start attacking. I want to encourage that person to just have faith that if God's called you to it, he's going to get you through it and to trust in the process and who you're becoming in that process as well. Because yeah, the longer it takes, the more of the doubts start coming in and you start thinking like, well, am I on the right path? And so I want to encourage that person to just prayerfully persist, have patience. It doesn't happen overnight. There is a process and so that's where faith really comes in.

Lixandra: A lot of people need to make a career switch due to a layoff. What advice do you have for someone in that situation?

Nancy: So to that person who has gotten laid off, I want to encourage that person, first of all, to see it as an opportunity, to see it as a gift, to see it as a fresh start, to see it as some precious time to explore what it is that God has for you in this new season and this new chapter. to not see it so much as an ending, but as a beginning, and to really take this time to learn more about yourself, to lean on God and your faith, and to explore, and to really use this as a time to experiment, to try new things, to meet new people, to connect with others, and to prepare for what's in store. I'm actually excited for that person. because it just means that it's a new chapter, a new season.

Lixandra: Can faith keep us in the present so we don't focus so much in the future and relieve the doubts?

Nancy: Yes. It's so important to focus on today, where you are today, to not despise it, to not be down and depressed about it, but to take those incremental steps that add up. Like, again, they may not make much sense right now, but looking back, you'll realize, oh, okay, I needed to be in that place at that time. I needed to meet that person in that season. I needed to gain that skill. And so if we look at it as long term and how many months or years, that can be overwhelming. But if we can just look at, OK, well, what did I learn today? Or what did I learn this week, this month, this quarter? If we break it down into smaller steps, I think that will help us.

Lixandra: So what is the difference between regular life coaching and faith-based life coaching, which you do?

Nancy: Well, so I'm a Christian life coach. So I pray with my clients and I also give them Bible verses to memorize. And so it's really God centered. So even when I think about my career, I was making my plans and then asking God to bless them. That was backwards. And I realized how important it is to really check in with God first. and ask him what his plan is and then prayerfully walk through it. And so that's what I do with my clients. I help them gain the confidence and courage and clarity that they need to really step out and answer that call.

Lixandra: What issues do your career-changing clients face and how do you help them as a faith-based life coach?

Nancy: Well, I find that they're feeling that it's stirring. They're feeling drawn to either a certain goal, a certain assignment, they're feeling a higher calling or purpose. But sometimes they're not sure, they feel unsure about the calling or the next steps. They also feel unqualified or unprepared. And so I just help them to prayerfully make decisions so that they can go from feeling frustrated to fruitful, and from feeling frazzled to focused, and from feeling fearful to fierce. There's a process and a journey, and it's just really just making that transition and really realizing that, yeah, if God's calling you to it, then He knows more about you than anyone else. And so He knows. Along the process, I like to remind them to obviously stay connected to God and to not give up in the middle of their story or in the middle of their journey. And to remind them that even when they may feel stuck along the way, that it's all part of the process. It's all part of God's plan. He's working all things together for their good. And so I just want to remind them that they're not alone on this journey. God is with them and I help to hold them accountable and coach them through and to cheer them on.

Lixandra: What three tips would you offer our listeners who want to include their faith in their career switch?

Nancy: Actually, there's three tips that start with P so you can remember them, but obviously first is to pray. And so to ask God for direction. Then it's time to prepare. So that means, you know, update that resume or if you're the entrepreneur, then start working on that business plan or start doing your research. Also in that field that you're being called to start looking up, learn more about it. And then, uh, the third step is to pursue. So now that you've done all the praying, all the researching as you've been saving money, now it's time to pursue. So apply for that job. or sign up for that class, take that course or get that certification, hire that coach, whatever it is, that next step, I would say to go ahead and go for it.

Lixandra: That's great. The three Ps, pray, prepare, and pursue. How can our listeners reach you if they'd like to connect with you?

Nancy: So I'm at aboundingfaith.com. That's my website. There's links to my books and to my coaching, to my blog, my podcast, YouTube channel. I'm also on social media so they can look up Abounding Faith.

Lixandra: What's your podcast and what do you talk about? Abounding Faith for today.

Nancy: I encourage people as they walk by faith, hope and love and live their God-given dreams. So I share stories from my books. I share encouragement. Even just recently, I lost my dear father. And so I've been sharing about that grieving process and what's been helping me. So it's just encouragement, inspiration. I pray for the listeners as well. And I share stories about my trips. I share stories about what I'm learning, different things that God is showing me.

Lixandra: I know you've written several books. Which one would you say is a good choice for career changers?

Nancy: I've written five Christian living and devotionals. My first book, Waiting on God Well, How to Prevent Breaking Down, On Your Way to Your Breakthrough, was the first book that I wrote. And that was just birthed out of the angst that I was feeling. I felt like God was calling me to something, but I didn't know what to do and things weren't happening. So these are tips, tools, insights, lessons. And also there's room for people to journal. This helped me while I was making my career switch and during my faith journey. And I hope it'll encourage listeners as well. And all the books are on Amazon.

Lixandra: Thanks to Nancy Gavilanes for being our guest today. You can find Nancy at her website, aboundingfaith.com, and her books on Amazon. Check out the show notes for her Amazon author page, her podcast, and her social media. 

You can find links to the resources mentioned in this episode and more helpful information in the show notes and on our website, careerswitchpod.com. While you're there, join our mailing list and follow us on Instagram and Twitter at careerswitchpod. So what's your career switch? Are you excited to take action after listening to this episode? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. We'd love to know, along with any feedback you have about the show. We're a new podcast, so please rate, review, and share with your friends and colleagues. It'll help get the show out there. Thanks for listening today. Till next time.