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Read on to find out about 8 ways you can explore new career ideas and come up with the elusive answer to your career change challenge.

One of the main reasons people struggle with career change is that they fail to think outside the box. Their ideas are really just more of the same. Here are some ways to help you to begin to think laterally. Start by looking inwards and then focus outwards too.

1. Skills.
Don't just look at the skills you have gained at work, but consider what you do in your spare time too. What talents have you been able to grow through your interests and community work? How could you use these in a job?

2. Interests.
Given that many people fall into jobs in an unplanned way, take time now to think about what you really enjoy doing. Go right back to when you were a kid. What really gave you a buzz? What jobs would allow you to feel that same excitement?

3. Achievements.
What have you done that you are proud of? Again, not just at work. Maybe the part you played in putting on a local drama club production gave you a real sense of satisfaction. What does that suggest about the kind of work that would be satisfying for you?

4. Personality.
Just what makes you tick? Do you know what kind of person you are? Being in a job that fits your personal style is like wearing well-fitting shoes. What kind of work would allow you to feel truly at home?

5. People watch.
Take a look at the people around you, both friends and casual encounters. What jobs are they doing? Look at parts of their job, not the whole thing. What aspects of their work appeal to you and what do you think you would dislike? What does that tell you about the work that would be right for you?

6. Work shadow.
If you have a few ideas that sound interesting, then see if you can fix up to volunteer somewhere where you can get an inside view. Or shadow someone for a day, for an hour or even just meet up with them for coffee and a chat and then pick their brains and dig below the surface of the job to find out more about what is involved. Check whether it would be worth investigating further.

7. Be a career researcher.
Just watch the world with job seeker eyes. There are 100s of jobs out there that never appear in any careers encyclopedia. Be alert to the jobs referred to directly or indirectly when you are reading the paper, watching TV or listening to the radio. See if you can identify a dozen new career ideas every week that you never realized existed before. One of these could be just what you are looking for.

8. Turn off your inner censor.
 Just for a while switch off the 'yes, but' voice in your head. Allow yourself to explore ideas uncritically. Open your mind to the enormous pool of possibilities out there and look for something that really captures your enthusiasm. Just what would you do if anything was possible? Once you feel inspired, the 'yes, but' responses are much easier to challenge.