Where next in your career or life?

Where would you go next in your career or life?

• Are you wondering how to launch yourself into the career you really want?
• Do you have a dream or goal that you want to achieve?
• Are you at a crossroads in your life and career, wondering whether to take that leap of faith and try something different?
• Or perhaps you are nearing retirement and wondering how to prepare for a fulfilling life after work?

It might surprise you that, in all these situations, there can be similar factors that can hold you back.In over 35 years of coaching, I have supported clients in all these scenarios and there are two ways of looking at this.

1. Moving from A to B

Sometimes you are clear about what ‘B’ is but need help thinking through the steps to get there, along with support, encouragement and accountability in taking those steps. However, often people are unclear about what ‘B’ will look, sound and feel like.

• What will a career in X really be like, not just the Insta view? What will that dream be like in reality? What are the benefits and downsides of going down that route?
• What will it be like to make changes mid-career or go for that promotion? Again, what are the pros and cons?
• What will retirement be like, how can you ensure that it does not just feel like you are wasting your time?

Once you know what ‘B’ is going to be, coaching then helps you to identify the steps to get there and supports you in taking consistent steps to get there. Helping you to overcome any obstacles or setbacks along the way.

2. Going within – transforming the internal blocks

In exploring these scenarios, I have never come across a client who does not need to go within themselves to transform something. It might be in terms of how they think, feel or behave to be able to take the steps to move from A to B. Probably because if they have that all sorted, they would not really need to use a coach!

What might those inner blocks be?

Your inner fearful child 

All their ‘What if’s’. If you just ignore these, they will either hold you back, give you sleepless nights or undermine the effectiveness of actions you take.

Your inner critic

You know that voice in your head that says ‘You are never going to amount to much’, ‘You are not clever enough/not disciplined enough/not organised enough/not confident enough to do X’, ‘You have left it too late’.

Your limiting beliefs

You might be aware of these already but certainly through the coaching process they will become apparent. Coaching can help you to transform them into more empowering beliefs that will help you to move from A to B.

Your mood and motivation

If there is a battle going on within you with the inner critic bullying your inner fearful child, it is easy to end up feeling low, demoralised, and demotivated. And that is before the obstacles come up and stop you from moving forward. Coaching will enable you to learn how to manage your mood and motivation to keep on learning about yourself and take the steps to transform yourself and then your life.

"You can’t step in the same river twice. Each time it is different, and so are you."

Alice Walker

Next steps

Start journaling

I cannot tell you how beneficial it is to start to tune into and process your inner dialogue, and then move on to actions. This is something I have done since I was in my mid-twenties.

Find an accountability buddy

I believe in practising what I preach and for the last couple of years have worked with a friend who runs her own business. We meet on Zoom every fortnight for 45 minutes. The first 15 minutes we quietly reflect (on our own) on the last couple of weeks: the challenges, successes and lessons learned. Then, we each have 15 minutes to talk through whatever it is that we are grappling with and we set actions. It is amazing how powerful this simple process can be.

Find yourself a coach

Along with my accountability buddy, I also have a coach. In fact, I have always had a coach since 1991 when I set up my business, and different types of coaches at different times. With my coach, it is working through the internal stuff which can get in the way of you achieving goals and thriving in life.
 
Do you want to move forward with your career, retirement, and life in general?
 
Contact me or take my free coaching audit to explore how my approach to coaching can help you to thrive both in and out of work. Sign up today for my eight-week video-based 'Being and doing: Spring into action' course which starts on Monday 15th April. 

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’  Mark Twain