“I used to be awesome, but ever since having a kid, I've been mediocre at most things.”
This is what my client, Emma, said to me when we first started working together.
Emma is a physicist.
Lived abroad for 8 years.
Has a Ph.D.
Worked for a start-up.
Plays the violin in an orchestra.
Volunteers one weekend out of every 4.
Has an amazing 2-year-old son.
She is the kind of person that when she knows what she wants, she does it.
The problem was, she didn’t know what she wanted anymore.
She was uncomfortable at her current job, unbalanced between job/kid/spouse/self and felt directionless.
This is very common for most moms as they head back into their career. The things that mattered before just don’t matter anymore. The goals you had for life don’t motivate you. The career trajectory you were on, no longer feels right.
Your brain no longer knows which way to go, and so it goes nowhere.
All forward momentum suddenly stops.
This is how Emma felt. Like life just halted.
Emma needed clear direction. She needed to give her brain a road map for making decisions, getting very clear on what was most important and what was not.
In coaching, I walked Emma through my 3-step process to creating and implementing vision. She got clear that it was time to leave her job and for the first time, she knew exactly why.
And because she felt clear, she pursued a job lead, nailed the interview and was offered the job…all within our first 6 weeks together.
Emma just needed direction. Because once she knew what she wanted, she went after it.
Our brains need to be told what direction to go, or it won’t go anywhere and we will feel stuck.
So here is the big question…how do you get clear?
Let’s start with how you won’t…
👎🏽 Browsing for jobs without knowing what you are looking for exactly
👎🏽 Starting with the job qualifications or benefits section of each job posting and ruling it out based on what it says
👎🏽 Passively thinking about changing jobs (or pulling back from work)
👎🏽 Asking friends and family what they think
These things don’t work because they have you searching outside of you for the answer. You need to look inside you for direction, not outside.
Direction starts with getting clear on you.
With my clients, I walk them through a specific 3-step process to getting clear on themselves. They name their values, identity, and purpose. This acts as their compass for evaluating their current job and looking toward a new one.
Click the here to watch a 10-minute video on developing your compass.
