In 2011, Victor Saad, a secondary school teacher, decided he wanted a new career.
At first, he considered getting an MBA. But when he reflected on what he really wanted from it — credibility in the field and employment opportunities — he started "thinking about other paths to get there," he says.
So Saad came up with a novel idea. Every month in 2012, he'd shadow a different business project that inspired him, from a creative studio in San Diego to a socially conscious menswear company in China.
That kind of creative thinking can help with any radical change in life, whether finding a different job or moving to a new country. And there are exercises that can help you make those decisions, says Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of the book Smart Change.
The key is to be curious, Markman says. "It opens you up to the prospect that life could be far more interesting than you envisioned it to be."
As for Saad, his "leap year," as he called it, led to an exciting new job. He started Experience Institute, an organization that coaches people through big leaps in life, professional or otherwise.
If you're ready to make a big decision, grab a pen, a notebook and a calendar and answer these journal prompts from our experts.
1. Brainstorm ways to reach your goal with the "Two Lines" exercise
To get a more concrete idea of what your goal is and the path you'll need to take to achieve it, Saad suggests starting with the "Two Lines" exercise, which he developed for the Experience Institute.
On the left side of the left line, write where you are today. On the right side of the right line, write where you hope to be. Leave the middle column blank — you'll get to that later.
On the left side, you might write, "I wish I had a creative side hustle." On the right side, you might write, "run a successful custom ceramics shop online."
In the center column, write down any ideas about how to achieve your goal. For example: "find a local ceramics studio," "build up inventory," "work with a designer to make a logo," "create social media accounts for my business," "start selling at craft fairs to get my products out there."
The list you come up with should give you the beginnings of a road map to your goal, Saad says.
2. Get unstuck with the "20 Statements Test"
The way you see yourself may affect your ability to make big life decisions, Markman says. For example, if you've always considered yourself to be risk-averse or hesitant to try new things, you may be more nervous about, say, finally starting a family or moving to Paris like you always dreamed of.
But what if you're only looking at your personality from a very narrow perspective?
One way to round out how you see yourself is to try the "20 Statements Test," Markman says. Developed by psychologists in the 1950s, the test measures an individual's self-concept, or beliefs, attitudes and perceptions.
It can also help you reimagine yourself, Markman says. "We can decide for ourselves which things are really intrinsic to who we think we are, and which are not."
On a sheet of paper, write the question "Who am I?" at the top of the page. Then write out 20 answers to that question. You might write, "Midwesterner," "dog mom," "gardener," "smart," "loyal," "community-oriented," "handy," "good at figuring things out."
Then look at your list of words. Can you use any of your other traits to counteract the ones that might be holding you back?
Maybe one of your descriptors is "shy," but another one is "reliable." So if you want to join a new social activity, rather than thinking of yourself as too shy to try it, maybe you lean into your capacity to keep showing up for the things that matter to you.
3. Pick a date on your calendar to spur the "fresh start effect"
If you're ready, grab your calendar and look for a date to kickstart your big life change, says Markman. It can align with a major holiday, like New Year's Day or the spring equinox; a day of personal significance to you, like your birthday or the five-year mark you've lived in your city; or a break in your schedule, like time off between jobs.
When you create a symbolic date to start a new behavior, it can boost your motivation and sense of optimism. Behavioral scientists call this phenomenon the "fresh start effect."
"When you create a break in the calendar, it provides two things: an opportunity to think about being different in the future and a vantage point for looking back on the past," Markman says.
These two perspectives are important, he says. Dating from Roman times, the symbol of the start of the year is the god Janus, who is often depicted with one head facing forward and the other facing back.
So before you dive into the future, reflect on what's happened up to the moment of your fresh start. It'll give you the best chance of success.
The podcast episode was produced by Sylvie Douglis. The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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