Is career indecision preventing you from pursuing a job you truly love? It’s time to take the leap and embrace change.

Many people find themselves stuck in a career rut, convincing themselves that work is just about paying the bills, not about enjoying what you do. Life gets busy, and the thought of change feels risky, leaving you trapped in a job that doesn’t bring you joy.

Maybe you're thinking about starting a portfolio career but are unsure of what comes next. Or perhaps you're already in one and are eager to explore new opportunities within it. While protecting your financial stability is important, your happiness and fulfillment should also be a top priority.

The most important thing to realise is that it’s achievable for happiness and success to work in tandem. Done right, a portfolio career is a lucrative option. More often than not, you’ll come out the other side actually making more money than you did in a permanent 9-to-5 position. Don’t let indecision and inertia hold you back – it’s time to squash those fears head on.

Are you suffering from FOMO and too many choices?

Fear plays a big (and necessary) role in decision-making. When faced with a significant life choice, it's natural to run through all the possible things that could go wrong. We've all been there, and at some point, we all feel the pressure of FOMO or the anxiety of making the wrong call.

What if leaving your current job means you miss your colleagues or the comfort of familiar tasks? Or what if you launch a new service and it doesn’t pan out the way you hoped? The good news is that portfolio careers offer flexibility. You don’t have to leave your day job if you’re not ready.

You can keep your 9-to-5 while building a side hustle. You could even scale back to part-time and take on a variety of projects. Or, embrace a multi-hyphenate career, juggling several different roles at once.

In other words, you don’t have to feel like you’re missing out. If you're unsure about making a big change, take smaller steps. Not everyone leaps straight into a portfolio career—some ease into it gradually, and that’s perfectly fine.

The beauty of it is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You can build a career that suits your unique situation.

It helps to disturb your routine

In the early 20th century, German-American social psychologist Kurt Lewin developed a three-step model for change designed to challenge the status quo and inspire both individuals and groups to transform their behaviours. He argued that individuals have a tendency to resist change, often becoming “frozen in place” despite favourable opportunities.

In order to break away from this, one would need to:

1. Embrace a shock/disturbance in order to unfreeze

2. Allow change to happen as a result of that shock

3. Refreeze in a new and different state

Put simply, shocking your routine can nudge you out of your rut. Let’s imagine you’re a block of ice. If you want to reshape yourself into something different like a star or a disk, you need to unfreeze the ice, mould your new shape, then refreeze in that new form.

In order to shake up your career, you first need to recognise why you’re stuck and break free of the doubts and insecurities that have kept you frozen.

Ask yourself:

• What's really holding me back?
• Is my financial stability really at stake or am I just fearful of what might happen?
• Is there a way to minimise the short-term financial risk while still having the career I dream of?
• What will you miss out on if you don't take the chance to have a career you're passionate about?
• What sort of portfolio career will work for my needs and lifestyle?

Don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way of what could be a successful and exciting portfolio career. The new working style may be different to what you’re used to, but there’s a reason why millions of people are making the shift into portfolio work. It’s flexible, it’s empowering and it’s lucrative – sometimes extremely so.

In fact, collaborative technologies and enhanced connectivity have influenced a drastic rise in global self-employment rates, with 20-30% of the working population in the EU and US choosing more independent and on-demand work – that’s 162 million working-aged people. Portfolio work is not just a trend – so don’t let your insecurities hold you back from being part of this global revolution.

List out all your fears in black and white and do some in-depth research. You’ll be surprised by what you learn about the employment market and about yourself.

Breaking it down into manageable steps

A big reason career changes and development feel overwhelming is that we often focus on the end goal instead of the journey. We try to picture the final destination without considering all the steps and milestones along the way.

Sure, the thought of completely shifting your working style or diving into a new direction within your existing portfolio career can seem a bit crazy. But remember, such change takes time—it doesn’t happen overnight. Too often, we get fixated on the summit and overlook the progress we make as we climb.

Start thinking about the short-term wins. The more milestones you set and pass, the more momentum you create. Do you already have a clear idea in your head of the type of portfolio career you’d like to have or the new venture you want to embark on? That’s good.

From there, it helps to:

1. Research that career and service to see what the market looks like at the moment.
2. Speak to others in the career. Having a community around you will help make the first steps easier.
3. Network, network and network some more. Ideally join as many networking events and workshops as you can so that you're not alone on this journey.
4. Set up a plan of when and how you want to achieve milestones. Ideally break it down into daily, weekly and monthly goals. But it's important to make sure you set achievable targets.

If you aren't sure of where to start with goals and objectives, we'd recommend checking out our ultimate guide to setting and achieving goals.

Once you have a better idea of what to expect and what your new workload could look like, it’s easier to actually start doing the work and building up a portfolio of clients. Start small with something like optimising your LinkedIn or TPC profile. From there, you can work your way up to creating a website, then landing a client, then building a sales pipeline and so forth.

It’s time to find your community

Starting any new business venture can feel overwhelming when you're doing it alone. That’s why building a community is so crucial when you have a portfolio career. You don’t need to work in isolation—there are plenty of opportunities to connect. Communities like The Portfolio Collective allow you to collaborate with fellow independents, find a mentor, and even participate in virtual events that link you to a broader network of professionals navigating similar paths.

Having others to hold you accountable is key. Share your milestones, celebrate your wins, and bond over shared challenges. If you’re feeling anxious, chances are others are too. Talking it out can provide new perspectives and help you overcome what's holding you back.

Still need a bit more guidance on planning and refining your portfolio career? Head over to The Portfolio Collective for helpful tips, tools and advice.