No one cares about your career as much as you do

Whenever I am between jobs, changing jobs, trying a new specialization, or just unsure of how to explain what I do for a living, it gives me so much anxiety. Will people think I'm dumb if I can't quickly and clearly answer the question, “So, what do you do?” at a cocktail party? Will they notice that I've had 15 different types of jobs in my adult life and wonder why? Will they judge me for trying something new and deciding 6 months later that it's not for me?

I have lost countless hours of sleep and an embarrassing amount of time over these questions. And you know what I've come to realize…and have to remind myself of quite frequently? No one really cares all that much.

It turns out the people who do care are more interested in my happiness and success than how the new directions or pivots impact whether they can keep track of what I’m doing or not. The people who don't care don't really notice! Sure, it can lead to awkward moments when I'm fumbling over my words or trying to explain what I did before, but that's the worst of it. And that's survivable.

I'm not saying that no one is paying attention to you, but rather that they're more worried about themselves. Once you realize that, it’s pretty freeing! It means you can try different things, dabble and explore, and sometimes even say, "I honestly don't know what I do right now" and will turn out just fine! It will be okay.

Imagine you’re a teenager trying to find your signature style and play around a little. Experiment, try different ways of characterizing the latest thing you're working on, see how it feels to say what you're thinking about, and notice how you react to people's reactions.

So, what do you want to try on next?