What do you do if your career decisions are influenced by emotions?

Making career decisions can be challenging, especially when you are influenced by emotions. Emotions are natural and inevitable, but they can also cloud your judgment, distort your perspective, and interfere with your goals. How can you manage your emotions and make wise career choices? Here are some tips to help you.

1 Identify your emotions

The first step is to recognize what emotions you are feeling and why. Are you feeling anxious, angry, sad, excited, or something else? What triggers these emotions? How do they affect your thoughts, actions, and reactions? Being aware of your emotions can help you understand yourself better, communicate more effectively, and cope more adaptively.

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Shane Kelly

Accomplished CEO & senior leader with expertise in strategic planning, charity governance, financial management, advocacy, & team leadership. Proven track record in growing membership & driving operational excellence
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If your career decisions are influenced by emotions, first acknowledge and understand these emotions. It's vital to distinguish between temporary feelings and deeper passions or values guiding your career path. Reflect on whether these emotions align with your long-term goals. Seeking feedback from trusted mentors or professionals can provide objective perspectives. Consider journaling your thoughts and feelings to gain clarity. If emotions like fear or stress are driving decisions, develop strategies to manage these feelings, such as mindfulness or professional support. Balancing emotional insights with rational planning leads to more fulfilling career choices.

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2 Evaluate your emotions

The second step is to evaluate how your emotions are influencing your career decisions. Are they helping you or hindering you? Are they based on facts or assumptions? Are they aligned with your values and interests? Are they motivating you or holding you back? Being honest with yourself can help you assess your situation more objectively, challenge your biases, and correct your mistakes.

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3 Express your emotions

The third step is to express your emotions in healthy and constructive ways. Bottling up or ignoring your emotions can lead to stress, frustration, and resentment. Venting or acting out your emotions can damage your relationships, reputation, and opportunities. Finding a balance between suppressing and expressing your emotions can help you release tension, gain support, and resolve conflicts.

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4 Regulate your emotions

The fourth step is to regulate your emotions and adjust your behavior accordingly. This does not mean denying or avoiding your emotions, but rather managing them in a way that suits the context and the goal. For example, you can calm yourself down before a stressful interview, cheer yourself up after a setback, or celebrate after a success. Regulating your emotions can help you cope with challenges, maintain your focus, and enhance your performance.

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5 Learn from your emotions

The fifth step is to learn from your emotions and use them as a source of feedback and growth. Emotions can provide you with valuable information about yourself, others, and the environment. They can also help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement. Learning from your emotions can help you develop your emotional intelligence, which is the ability to understand, use, and manage emotions effectively.

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Andrea Boe

Communications Specialist | Multifaceted Creative
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Some people may advise against following strong emotions in the workplace but emotions, in my opinion, are one of the most authentic indicators of what is important to us. Emotions are also big motivators and can give us spurts of energy when we need to make something happen.

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6 Integrate your emotions

The sixth step is to integrate your emotions with other factors that influence your career decisions, such as your skills, knowledge, experience, goals, and opportunities. Emotions are not the only or the best guide for your career, but they are an important and inevitable part of it. Integrating your emotions with your rationality can help you make balanced, informed, and satisfying career decisions.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What do you do if your career decisions are influenced by emotions?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify your emotions

2 Evaluate your emotions

3 Express your emotions

4 Regulate your emotions

5 Learn from your emotions

6 Integrate your emotions

7 Here’s what else to consider

Interpersonal Skills

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What do you do if your career decisions are influenced by emotions?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify your emotions

2 Evaluate your emotions

3 Express your emotions

4 Regulate your emotions

5 Learn from your emotions

6 Integrate your emotions

7 Here’s what else to consider

Interpersonal Skills

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Thanks for your feedback

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