THE ADVENTURER'S GUIDE TO REBOOTING YOUR CAREER
Psychologies UK|January 2023
Sue Stockdale was the first British woman to ski to the Magnetic North Pole - now, she's using her spirit for adventure to inspire your new career
SALLY SAUNDERS
THE ADVENTURER'S GUIDE TO REBOOTING YOUR CAREER

In 1996, I was one of only two women in a team of 14 novices to ski to the Magnetic North Pole anything even like one - before. But I said to myself, 'If it's meant to be, I'll find a way to make it happen.' I ended up skiing for 350 miles to the Magnetic North, dragging a sledge weighing 60kg - the weight of the average woman! It took a whole month. I did it because I'm led by curiosity. I thought, 'I wonder what it's like to survive for a month in the cold.' And, most importantly, 'I wonder whether I can do something like that.' And, rather than making a judgement, I followed that curiosity to see what was possible.

My mum died when I was 14, in her fifties. And, after that, I guess I began to believe that life is for living. We don't know how long we're going to be on this planet, so I try to make the most of every day.

In the same way, I see business as an adventure. There will be some successes along the way, and along with those highs, there will be lows. It's how we get through the lows that enables us to enjoy the highs. Sometimes, you might have a big and seemingly insurmountable challenge - like having to ski another five miles when you're absolutely knackered! I break things down into the smallest possible steps. How can I get through the next five minutes? How can I keep going? In the workplace, you can do exactly the same: How can I just get through the next five minutes? What one small thing can I do to make this situation better?

But, if it's gone beyond one bad situation, you have fallen out of love with your job, and are considering quitting, here are the seven things you need to know to reboot your career...

1 KNOW YOUR VALUES

What's really important to you? Sometimes, this is easier to see when that thing is being challenged.

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