Hey Amanda,
First of all, I’m so glad you get and appreciate our deeper approach to figuring out your passion & having a fulfilling career! Shifting paradigms is so crucial to the process.
Based on how you’ve described your current job (and previous jobs), I agree that a bridge job might be a great choice for you right now. Something to give you a little breathing room so you have the mental/emotional space to get clear on what you really want and how to get there. And, frankly, something to break the pattern you’re in, so you can see other possibilities.
In the name of shifting paradigms, however, I have some holes I want to try to poke in your fears. Sometimes, just by questioning your fears, it makes them feel less real and easier to overcome. So ask yourself:
— Who’s to say what “regression” in a career even means? (Sometimes taking a step “backward” allows for a huge jump forward, which all counts as progress in my book!)
— What if “progressing” in your career had more to do with how you FELT than how it looked on paper?
— How true is it that a bridge job HAS to pay significantly less than your current role?
— Even if a bridge job does pay less, what ways could you make it work short-time? (Remember, a bridge job is just a temporary stopping place anyway.)
— How clear are you on your requirements for a bridge job? Have you listed out your bridge job criteria? How likely is it that *nothing* will align with your needs?
Hopefully that helps you get into the headspace of questioning your fears before they take over and prevent you from trying something that might be a great next step.
Again, it’s totally normal to have fears about making a big change! Especially if you’re not sure how it’ll all work out. But it’s clear that your head is in the right place, and you WANT to try something new. So it’s helpful to get some practice in questioning/reframing your fears along the way.
Hope that helps!