The Power of Your Personal Brand

Are you looking for that next job or thinking of making a career change? One of the most effective ways to market yourself for the job you want is through understanding your personal brand.

What exactly is a personal brand? Your brand is your reputation, what you’re known for, and how you add value in a way that no one else does. Your brand, as Jeff Bezos once said “is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

Many of us are familiar with corporate branding. We see the logos, jingles, tag lines, ads and mission statements that companies create to illustrate their brand. They spend millions of dollars each year intentionally creating their brand. Then they tell us what they want us to think of them. And it works.

Similarly, we all have a personal brand, whether we’re aware of it or not. For most people, this happens by default. Knowing what makes us different is not something we recognize in ourselves or are even taught to think about.

But letting your brand happen by default means you’re likely missing out on job opportunities.

Knowing your brand helps you:

🔰 Identify roles that you will thrive in.

🎉 Stand out from the competition, so that you’re more likely to receive interview requests and job offers.

😃 Earn promotions faster.

🧠 Be more memorable, so that people think of you as opportunities arise.

💵 Command higher salaries.

Knowing your brand, and leveraging it to showcase how you add value, is a powerful way to generate job opportunities and increase salary levels.

So how do you identify your brand?

At the simplest level, your brand is comprised of four components:

Your strengths. 💪

Your strengths are those traits that come naturally to you. They’re an intrinsic part of who you are and how you add value. Examples of strengths are traits such as “creative, versatile and analytical.” Your strengths come as naturally to you as does breathing, and just like you’re not consciously aware of every breath you take, you’re also often unaware of using your strengths. It’s precisely this reason – that they feel so easy to us – that we don’t recognize our strengths as being anything special.

One of the easiest ways to determine your strengths is simply to ask others. Ask people who know you and the work you do for their thoughts on your strengths and the ways you add value.

Your skills. 🤹🏾

A skill is something you’ve learned and mastered through repetition – the “tools” you use to accomplish a task. Your skills include hard skills (skills that are specific to a job and can be measured, such as coding, bookkeeping or copywriting) and transferable skills (soft skills that can be transferred to multiple roles, such as problem-solving or teamwork). To determine the skills most relevant to your brand, consider those that meet two criteria: 1) they’re important to the role you’re seeking and 2) you enjoy using them.

Your experience. 💼

Your experience, both in the job market and in your personal life, is different from anyone else’s. This experience has shaped you into the person you are today, bringing you a perspective to the job that no one else has. When evaluating your personal brand, consider how these experiences, however unrelated they may seem, allow you to add value. Many times it’s these seemingly unrelated experiences that are exactly what gives you a perspective that no one else has.

Your personality. 😃

Your personality, the way you interact with people, is the final component of your brand. It’s how "you do you" in your own unique way.

By themselves, each of these components is a powerful tool in demonstrating your value to an employer. However, it’s the combination of these four elements, when carefully thought through and consciously articulated, that creates a compelling brand unique to you. It’s your special sauce, your unique genius. No one else has what you have. No one else can do the job the way you do it.

And no prospective employer is going to know that unless you tell them.

Knowing your brand, and, most importantly, being able to articulate it to an employer, are the most powerful tools in your arsenal when you’re seeking a new role. Use them to leverage your way to the job, and the salary that you want.

If you’d looking for a job or a promotion and would like to harness the power of your personal brand, schedule a free Discovery Consultation at RevolutionYouCoaching.com, and learn how to leapfrog your career.

Creating Your New Reality

I’ve had several conversations with people the past two weeks about how we’re all hoping that 2022 will be better than 2021. Everyone is tired of the pandemic and ready for life to return to “normal.”

My stock response has been to say, “I’m going to make it so,” but I also know that just saying so doesn’t make it happen.

Which got me thinking, how, exactly, am I going to make 2022 better than 2021? I’ve created vision boards in the past, which are fun and inspiring, and motivating. But by themselves, they don’t create change. This year I want massive results.

I started by creating my word for the year, the word that typifies what I want to experience this year.

For me, it’s “expansion.” Expansion in both my personal life and in my business life.

Then I developed a list of small actions I can take each month that will create expansion. I know that as I take these actions, my life will change in ways I can’t begin to imagine.

Here’s my commitment to myself:

Take one hike/week of at least two miles to someplace I’ve never been before. I’ve been walking daily for the past eight months and want to expand on this by exploring unfamiliar places. I joined the 52 Week Challenge to keep myself motivated and created a journal to track each of my walks. I’m using All Trails to find new trails and MapMyWalk to measure distance, pace and elevation. In addition, I’ve joined three local hiking groups that regularly host group hikes. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and exploring new places.

Try one new recipe/week. I cook almost all my food from scratch and have developed dozens of recipes that are healthy and easy to make. It’s easy to fall back on these recipes, but it gets boring. I already have a list of interesting recipes I’m excited to try out – some may be duds, but I know I’m going to find some new favorites.

Develop one new habit/month. I’ve heard that if you do anything for 30 days, it can become a habit, so I’m choosing one new thing each month that I’d like to either quit doing or start doing and do it for 30 days. It doesn’t have to be a major change, because even tiny actions can lead to huge results. This month I’ve doing a gratitude practice, something I’ve done sporadically over the past year and want to make more intentional. For me, that means listening to a gratitude meditation every morning and then reflecting on what I’m grateful for throughout the day. I’m excited to think that after one year, I’ll have twelve new empowering habits!

Eat at one new vegan restaurant/month. I’ve been a vegan for the past ten years, and the number of restaurants offering vegan choices has exploded compared to what it used to be. I’ve been choosing the vegan restaurants close to me for convenience, but there are dozens throughout the Atlanta area, so each month, I’m picking a new one to experience, whether it’s dining in or dining out.

Create one new relationship each month. In both my personal and professional life, I’m seeking opportunities to meet more people, people with diverse viewpoints and backgrounds, and then nurture these relationships. Whether they last for a week or are enduring, I hope to add value to their lives and know they will for me.

Read one business book/month. Like many others, I have a stack of books to go through, all of which I know will expand my mind and develop me as a person and a business owner. As a busy entrepreneur, I also know that the only way I can get through them is to dedicate a specific time each day to read and reflect on them (even if it’s for only 15 minutes). This month I’m reading “The Gap and the Gain” by Dan Sullivan, a mind-shifting strategy to celebrate your successes and stay motivated.

Attend one networking event/month, whether it’s virtual or in-person. Before the pandemic, I attended three or more in-person networking events/month, met a lot of interesting people, and established some great relationships, but my networking dropped off over the past two years. Like many others, I developed Zoom fatigue and stopped attending virtual events. No more! I’m ready to resume networking, virtual or in-person, and have developed a plan to expand these relationships outside the networking group.

Go on one new adventure/month. For me, an adventure is something I haven’t done before that fills me with joy. Just thinking about this gets me excited! I’m not sure exactly what these adventures will be, but I know that if I look for them, I’ll find them.

2022 is going to be a momentous year! Not because I say it will be, but because I’m going to take the actions to make it happen. Of course, there may be unexpected challenges and disappointments along the way – that’s part of life. There will also be wonderful surprises and results that I can’t begin to imagine now.

To keep me on track and to celebrate my accomplishments along the way, I’ve created a notebook to log all my expansions for the year. I’m already looking forward to next New Year’s Eve, when I plan to pull it out and celebrate all I’ve achieved and how I’ve grown.

2022 is going to be a wonderful year because I’m going to create it.                                              

What about you? What are you doing to create an amazing 2022 for yourself?

Claudia Rossi with Revolution You Coaching helps individuals who are feeling stuck in their career or business decide on their next step and then create it. If you’re seeking expansion and are feeling stuck, schedule a free, no-obligation Discovery Call and learn how to create your own new reality.

Forget About "How" and Start With "Why"

A new client reached out to me because she couldn’t take it anymore.

Carol had been working in the same career for 20 years and was feeling stressed out, unfulfilled and unmotivated. She’d never really been happy with her career choice, but the last 5 years had been especially difficult. She knew she wanted to find a career that felt more meaningful, but she had no idea what she wanted to do - and every time she thought of making a change, she felt overwhelmed wondering how to make it happen.

She had glimpses of what she wanted to do. New ideas bubbled up every month. There were even times when she thought she’d figured it out and would be excited for a few weeks. She’d start dreaming about her new role and how much better it would be.

Until she started thinking about how to make it happen.

The “hows” Always Stopped Her

HOW to convince an employer that her skills and experience were relevant.

HOW to know that she was making the right choice.

HOW to convince her friends/family that she wasn’t making a mistake by leaving behind what appeared to be a good career for something completely different.

HOW to make enough money in a new career.

HOW to re-writer her resume so that an employer would even consider her.

HOW to even begin the process.

Stuck in a Holding Pattern

The more she thought about “how” to make it happen, the more overwhelmed she felt. The process of getting from where she was to where she wanted to be seemed almost impossible. She began to doubt herself and her new career idea. “Is this really what I want to do?” The idea she was once so excited about seemed unattainable, and because of that, it became less interesting.

So she’d toss it aside and start over again, daydreaming about other careers and browsing through job postings until she thought of something else.

With every new idea, she’d feel excited and energized by it, thinking it would be a perfect fit for her. Sometimes that feeling lasted for a few days, sometimes for several weeks or more.

But it always ended the same way – wondering “how” to make it happen.

And once she started wondering “how”, the cycle started again. The doubts and fears came back, she’d lose interest in the idea, toss it aside and start over again.

It happened again, and again and again.

She was stuck in a loop. And she was miserable.

It’s Not About the “How”

Carol wasn’t that all that different from the other clients I’ve helped (including myself, when I was stuck trying to figure out my career.)

She had some great ideas about careers she could pivot to. There were even a few that returned to her thoughts again and again over the years. But although she didn’t realize it, she never gave herself time to fully evaluate them because the “how” of making it happen kept getting in the way. Making it seem overwhelming and unattainable.

Her question was a completely legitimate one – how to pivot to a new role and convince an employer to hire her.

But like many people in this situation, she was focusing on the wrong problem first.

This wasn’t the first question she should have been asking. It wasn’t even the second.

She was letting the HOW get in the way.

What to Ask Yourself Instead

There is a better way to find your ideal career.

It doesn’t begin with thinking about “how” to make it happen. Or even “what” you want to do.

It all begins with “why”.

That’s how it worked for my client “Tim”.

Tim immigrated from India to the U.S. many years ago. At the time he decided to move, he had no idea how he was going to make it happen. He didn’t have the resources, he didn’t have a job waiting for him, and he didn’t even know what type of job he wanted to pursue. What he did have was a vision of creating a business that would employ hundreds of people in India and vastly improve their lives. He’d seen how difficult it was for people who lost their jobs – and helping to fix that problem became his why.

Tim’s friends and family all tried to talk him out of it. To them, the how of making it happen seemed overwhelming. How would he know what kind of job to get? How would he get the skills he needed? How would he find a job? How would he find the money to move? And what if he failed?

But Tim had a powerful “why”, he wanted to ease the suffering he’d seen in his own family and in his community when people struggled to find work - so he figured it out. It took him two years to acquire the skills he needed and to find a job in the U.S., but today, 20 years later, he has a thriving multi-million-dollar software business that employs people in the U.S. and India. If he’d focused on "how" initially, as all his family and friends did, he never would have made the move. His life, that of his children’s, and that of all the people he now employs in India would have been vastly different.

A Different Approach

Knowing your "why" makes it easier to make a career change.

Some people have “whys” that drive them to make major life changes and move to another country, as it did for my client Tim. Others have “whys” that are equally transformative yet require only minor changes, as in the case of the restaurant manager who discovered that her “why” was to bring joy to the lives of people she met every day. She found a new position with her current employer, reframed her perspective, and found ways to actively bring joy to everyone she interacted with, both on the job and off.

If you’re contemplating a career change, you’ve probably already spent a lot of time thinking about “what” you want to do and “how” to make it happen. They’re both perfectly legitimate questions, but if you don’t know the answers, they’ll leave you feeling stuck and uncertain.

If that’s the case for you, forget about “what” you want to do, for now.

Also, forget about “how” you’ll make it happen. That will come later.

You want to begin, as Simon Sinek says, with “why”.

If you don't know your "why", try meditation and/or journaling. They're both good strategies that may give you some insights.

The following questions may also help:

• What problem would you most like to solve, or see solved in the world?

• What activities bring you the most passion?

• When have you felt the most fulfilled?

The “What” and the “How”

Once you’ve figured out your why, you can then turn your focus to identifying “what” you want to do, whether it’s changing careers or launching a business. Many people that I’ve worked with find it much easier to identify several good options once they’ve figured out their “why”.

The trick here is to not dwell on thoughts of “how” before you’ve identified “what” you want to do. Thinking about “how” too early in the process shuts down your creative process and instead stirs up all kinds of self-sabotaging fears and doubts. It’s natural for the thoughts of “how” to pop up – I see it in my clients all the time - but if they do, set them aside for now. They’ll be plenty of time to think about them once you’ve identified some options.

The last step, after you’ve figured out your “why” and your “what”, is “how” to make the move from where you are to where you want to be. And although there may be some challenges along the way, you’ll find that regardless of whether you change careers, remain with your current organization, or launch a business, knowing your “why” helps give you the motivation and confidence to make it happen.

Do you want to make a career change and need help figuring out your “why”, “what” or “how”? Schedule a free, no-obligation Discovery Call here, and we’ll chat about how you can make it happen.

Want to Find a Career You Love? Stop Doing These Twelve Things.

Discovering a career you love can be a frustrating process for a lot of people. One that can take years, or for some, even decades. This was true for me when I was seeking to make a career change, and it’s true for the people who come to me for help.

There is certainly no shortage of information and assessments online designed to help you identify your ideal career, but after coaching and talking to hundreds of people, I’ve found that there are 12 things to stop doing that will make the process much easier.

1)      Stop applying to any job that pops up online that sounds interesting. Only a very small percentage of jobs are found this way, so if this is your only strategy, not only will it take you longer to find a job, you’re also likely to become increasingly frustrated by the lack of responses.

2)      Stop taking assessments and hope they’ll give you the answer. Although assessments are fun and can sometimes lead to interesting insights, without someone to help you make sense of them, they’re unlikely to point to a specific career.

3)      Stop listening to your own limiting beliefs. You may be telling yourself “I’m too old to make a career change,” or “I’m not experienced enough in that field,” or “I’m not smart enough,” but If you listen to these beliefs, they’ll stop you dead in your tracks before you even have a chance to explore your options.

4)      Stop worrying about other people’s expectations of you. Whether you’ve just graduated from college and don’t want to disappoint your parents by choosing a job outside your major, or you’ve been working for 30+ years and are concerned people will judge you for leaving behind a career you’ve invested so much time in  - letting go of other’s expectations will allow your mind to think of other options.

5)      Stop looking for the jobs that will make you the most money. We all want to make a decent living, but if you lead with this requirement, instead of first figuring out what you love to do, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll ultimately wind up feeling dissatisfied or unfulfilled.

6)      Stop worrying about making a “wrong” decision. Frequently, the fear of making a wrong choice stops people from taking any action at all. Letting go of this fear is often the first step in opening your mind to new possibilities.

7)      Stop focusing on your weaknesses. In the workforce, we’re often told exactly what our  weaknesses are and told to improve them, instead of encouraged to focus on the things we’re good at. If you’re working at a job where you’re having to employ your weaknesses most of the time, you’re in the wrong job.

8)      On the other hand, stop doing things just because you’re good at them. Unless you love them too. Then keep doing them. But if you don’t love the work you’re doing, even if you’re good at it, it may be time to let it go.

9)      Stop focusing on the negative. It’s completely understandable why we think about the things we don’t like in our jobs, whether it’s the work we do, our boss or co-workers, but the more we focus on the negative, the more these thoughts discourage and drain us of energy. Shakespeare once said, “A man with a toothache can’t fall in love.” Just like a toothache, the pain of a stressful job makes it difficult to focus on other things in your life and can lead to challenges with our relationships, health and energy levels.

10)   Stop listening to unsupportive people. If you have people in your life that support your dreams, no matter what they are, great! But if you don’t, stop listening to them. People don’t support our dreams for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with us. They could be afraid of how your choice might affect them, they could be jealous, or they could have their own limiting beliefs that make them believe it’s not possible.

11)   Stop looking for the “perfect” career. There is no such thing. But there are one or more “ideal’ careers that are a good fit for you.

12)   Stop focusing on “how” to make a change unless you’ve identified exactly “what” you want to do first. Focusing on how to make a major change, when we’re not sure what we want to do, shuts our brain down from considering all options.

Here’s what to do instead:

1)      Develop a learner’s perspective. Accept that it’s ok to be in a position where you’re not the expert anymore. It’s ok to be a little uncomfortable.

2)      Surround yourself with people who support and inspire you. You may have heard the saving that “you’re the sum of the people closest to you,” so if those around you don’t support you, find some who do. One of the fastest ways to change your results is to change your environment.

3)      Focus on your strengths. “What comes naturally to you?” “What do people compliment you on?” “What can you do for hours and hardly notice that time is passing you by?” These are all clues as to what your strengths are – talents that can be carried over to a new role.

4)      Take action. The natural human tendency when we’re feeling stuck is to do nothing, but by taking action, any type of action, we’ll get clarity over whether we’re heading down the right path or the wrong one.

5)      Do something slightly uncomfortable every day. By practicing being uncomfortable and realizing we can survive it, we gain confidence in other areas of our lives that then opens our minds to new possibilities.

6)      Meditate and/or Journal – a few minutes a day can yield some insights into what your heart wants you to do.

7)      Focus first on “what” you want to do, before you start worrying about “how” you’ll make it happen. Once you’re clear on your career direction, figuring out what to do becomes less intimidating.

8)      Identify the beliefs that are holding you back. It’s quite possible that you know exactly what kind of work will fulfill and excite you, but your subconscious mind won’t allow you to identify it, let alone believe in it.

If you’ve been stuck trying to identify and find your ideal career, it may be time to get some help. It’s not easy to take this journey by yourself, as we frequently don’t recognize our own strengths or roadblocks.  “When you’re inside the bottle, it’s hard to read the label.”

Hiring a coach will help you to not only identify the career that’s right for you but can release the fears that are holding you back.

For help developing a strategy to identify and then find a career you love, discover a free, no-obligation Discovery Call here.

Giving life a purpose is the surest way to make your life miserable

“Giving life a purpose is the surest way to make your life miserable.”

I came across this comment on a social media post this morning and it made me sad that someone believed this. And was teaching others the same thing.

After all, one of the things I teach people is how to identify their purpose, as I’ve seen how powerful this knowledge is in helping people who are feeling stuck, are considering a career change, or are facing a major life decision.

Knowing your purpose is a game change and one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

And it makes it so much easier to find work that you love.

But that statement was correct…. in a way.

Let me explain.

If you think of your purpose as what you do, you’re setting yourself up for potential disappointment. And possibly more stress and confusion.

Let’s say you believe your purpose is to write a best-selling nutrition book.

Or perhaps you identify your purpose as being an entrepreneur.

How do you feel if you don’t accomplish these goals?

Because that’s what they are – goals, not your purpose.

For those who define their purpose this way, failing to achieve it can make them question their purpose.

Beyond the disappointment we’d all feel for failing to reach a goal we’ve set for ourselves – it can also call us to question our purpose.

But what if you re-framed your purpose from what you do to why you do it?

The author might restate his purpose to be - Helping people live happier, healthier lives by eating a healthy diet – chosen because of his personal success in achieving health this way.

He can then choose multiple ways to live out that purpose, whether it’s by writing a book, working as a nutritionist, volunteering to help others with their diets, or in dozens of other ways.

The entrepreneur might restate her purpose to be -  Improving the lives of millions of pets – chosen because of her personal loss when dealing with inferior pet products.

She can then live out her purpose by launching a business, working for a pet supply company, educating others through speaking opportunities or any other way that serves her why.

Re-framing your purpose statement from what you do to why you do it gives you a framework around which to build your life and your career.

And opens up worlds of opportunities with lots of different options.

So, to revise the quote from that unknown blogger at the top of this article - stating your life purpose as a goal can cause misery – but figuring out your “why” is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

 For help identifying your purpose, schedule a free, no-obligation Discovery Call.

Four Secrets to Finding Your Ideal Job

The average person spends 90,000 hours working over the course of their career. That’s a big chunk of your life.

 Yet many people spend that time at jobs that they hate. Or at best, tolerate.

 Now there are people who love their jobs. You probably know some of them. They seem as energized at the end of the day as they are at the beginning. They’ve found a way to combine their passions with their skills and strengths in a way that generates a good income for them. They love going to work every day. People love working with them. Promotions and raises come easily to them.

 Before we look at their secret, let’s consider what typically stops people from finding their ideal job.

 In my years of coaching people through career transition, I’ve found the answer typically falls into one of these categories:

1. You don’t know what you want to do. You’re 100% certain what you DON’T like, but you have no idea what you do want.

2. Your mind is overflowing with all sorts of ideas about jobs that you could do, jobs that intrigue you, jobs that sound better than what you’re doing right now, but you have no idea which one to pick or how to figure out if it really is right for you.

3. You have a couple good ideas of jobs you think you’d like, but you’re afraid of picking the wrong one and ending up being dissatisfied yet again. Maybe you’ve even changed jobs a couple times and already had this happen to you.

4. You’re afraid that changing careers to something you really love means you’ll have to take a lower salary or go back to school. And you have a family to support, you have responsibilities, you have a way of life that you enjoy, you don’t have time. You just don’t want to start over again.

5. You don’t believe it’s possible for you, or that it’s too late for you. You’ve tried finding that ideal career for years and have decided that finding work you enjoy just isn’t going to happen for you.

I used to fall into most of these categories myself. I spent decades searching for my ideal career and never feeling totally satisfied with my job. I didn’t hate everything I did - there were some jobs that I tolerated and some that I even loved for a few years. But I always ended up feeling that there was something more I was meant to do.

 So, after years of working in less-than-satisfactory jobs, I decided it was time to figure it out. It was time to figure out my ideal career and then help others do the same.

 What I discovered is that people who love their jobs know 4 things that others don’t.

They know what they want out of life – not just out of work.

People often skip this step when they’re first entering the workforce by looking for an occupation that is in demand. Perhaps it’s something their parents or a teacher told them they should pursue, or maybe they saw something online about the hottest 10 jobs of the year. So, they picked something that sounded the best and tried to fit themselves into it - and maybe it worked in the beginning. They may have even loved their jobs at one time.

 But over time, this approach almost always leads to unhappiness and a sense that’s something is missing - a feeling that there’s something better out there for them.

People who are happy with their careers take an entirely different approach. They identify first what they want out of life and what they value the most before they even start thinking of a profession.

They know what their unique genius is – what their strengths and talents are and how to use them in a way that’s valuable to employers.

People who use their strengths every day find that work seems less like work and more like fun. The days pass quickly. Promotions and raises come easily.  They feel energized and engaged by the work they’re doing.

It’s the difference between floating downstream and enjoying the ride versus swimming upstream against a strong current.

They’ve identified the voices inside their head that tell them they’re not good enough. Not good enough to do whatever it is they’ve thought of doing. They know what these beliefs are and have developed a way to overcome them in order to get what they want.

 They have an active system for finding opportunities, one that doesn’t depend on passively applying for jobs online and waiting for an employer to contact them.

Only 10% of jobs are found by applying online, and if you’re changing careers, the odds are even less. People who love their jobs and make the kind of money they want have an active system for finding and creating their own ideal jobs.

The great news is that all 4 of these are skills that can be learned, and even better, once you’ve learned them, they’re yours for life!

People who love their jobs usually don’t stumble upon them by accident –  they have a systematic process for identifying what they want out of life, knowing what their genius is and then implementing a plan to find those jobs.

It’s a system I use to help my clients find careers they love. And it’s something that anyone can learn and implement.

 If you’d like to learn how to utilize these strategies to find your ideal career, request a free, no-obligation Strategy Consultation at RevolutionYouCoaching.

 Shouldn’t your 90,000 hours be spent doing something you love?

How I Found My Purpose - and How You Can Too!

My whole life I’ve had a strong belief that I was on this earth to serve a specific purpose. I knew it was going to be something big and impactful, and I knew I would be successful at it - but I struggled with figuring out exactly what it was.

During my career, I’ve made a number of pivots, trying things that challenged and stimulated me intellectually, hoping to discover my purpose along the way, but finding out time after time that something was still missing.

It took me years, decades actually, to figure out my purpose, but it wasn’t in the way I thought it would be. It all began when I was a child…

When I was growing up, my family lived at the end of a dead-end street with a creek in the backyard.  We lived in a small town, so the water was clear and clean and full of wildlife. All I had to do was step out into our backyard and see turtles, crawfish, tadpoles and even snakes.  All kinds of snakes. And I fell in love with them! I begged my parents for months at the time for a boa constrictor, but they said no, wisely now I realize, so I ended up with a garter snake from the yard and an iguana named Igggy. I thought I had found my purpose. I was going to be a herpetologist. I loved it!  But it only lasted for two years and the allure of playing with turtles and snakes and tadpoles went away.

Fast forward a few more years, and once again, I thought I had my purpose all figure out. I loved standing in front of a chalkboard and “teaching” my younger siblings and whichever neighborhood kids I could round up. I don’t know what I talked about, and I don’t think it even mattered - as long as I had an audience, I loved it! I thought I had found my purpose.

I entered college thinking I was going to be a teacher of some sort. I took the first required class in the education curriculum – early childhood development, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. I was completely turned off by the curriculum, my professor and by my fellow classmates. You see, as I was growing up, I had been told by well-meaning adults who loved me that teaching wasn’t a good enough profession for me. They thought I should be a scientist of some sort, like others in my family.

Those beliefs colored my perception of my fellow education students and resulted in a snap judgement that turned me off the profession before I even gave it a chance. It wasn’t my purpose after all – or so I thought.

For the next 30 years, I spent my career doing lots of different things, and achieving success in all of them. Each time I started a new job, I thought, this is it! This is where I’ll discover my purpose. I’d throw myself into the role for a few years, but after mastering the job and achieving some financial success, I’d realize that something was still missing.

I’m happy to report that I eventually did figure out my purpose. But it wasn’t by trying a lot of different careers and discovering what I enjoyed doing – although that was part of it.

It wasn’t by taking a lot of different career assessments to see what I was good at – although I took a lot of them.

It wasn’t by pestering all my friends to ask what they thought I should do – although I did that too.

And it wasn’t by reading dozens of self-help books on finding your purpose - although I have a whole library on this subject.

It was a journey of self-discovery that uncovered the limiting beliefs that had been holding me back – the beliefs that were preventing me from realizing something that I already knew – but didn’t want to acknowledge.

So yes, I eventually figured out my purpose – but it wasn’t until I enrolled in a coach training program and learned the tools to help others (and myself) figure out what filled them with purpose and passion and how to turn them into a career and life that they loved.

Before I went through this journey of self-discovery, I had assumed, like many people do, that my purpose was what I did – my job description i.e. “I teach children”, “I send rockets to the moon”, “I diagnose and treat illnesses in people”. But that’s not your purpose.

What I realized is that your purpose is not WHAT you do. It’s WHO you are at your core. It’s the talents, beliefs and values that make you special. It’s the reason, the WHY that you do something. WHAT you do is simply the expression of that purpose.

Which brings me to where I am today, a career and business strategist that helps people figure out what they want to do with their life, career or business – to identify their purpose, their genius, their why, and figure out how to go out and get it. I coach them, I motivate them, I inspire them, and I help them to uncover the beliefs that are holding them back. And yes, I teach them. That is my purpose. Turns out I knew it all along.

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Discovering my purpose transformed my life. Learn how it can transform yours by scheduling a free, no-obligation Discovery Call here.

10 Steps to Successfully Change Your Career at Any Age

Changing jobs or careers can be a challenging task, especially if you haven’t been in the job market recently.

It’s especially challenging if you don’t know what you want to do next or how to go about getting it, a situation that causes many people to remain stuck for years in jobs they don’t like.

Given that the average person in the U.S. works 90,000 hours over the course of their career, it’s understandable that many people want to find work that provides them with more than a paycheck.

Although the thought of changing careers can be a daunting task, it’s possible to find work that you enjoy at any age, provided you understand what you really want.

Here are 10 steps to help you move from career burnout to work that you love.

1)      Get clear on what you want in all areas of your life, not just your career.

Understanding what you want in your career starts first with understanding what you want in your life. Set aside some quiet time to reflect on what your ideal life looks like in all areas, including your relationships, health, recreation, financial, career, personal development and community.

2)      Discover your purpose and determine how you want to live it out

Many people struggle with identifying their purpose and think of it in terms of what they do – for example, an engineer, a teacher or a banker.

A different way of looking at your purpose is to define it in terms of who you are.

For example, a person who thinks their purpose is to be a school teacher may realize that their true purpose is “to educate and inspire people to be their best”.

This person can now look for ways to live their purpose in activities as diverse as elementary school teacher, pastor, manager, baseball coach or inspirational speaker, as well as in everyday interactions with family members, friends and in volunteer activities.  

Change the way you think about your purpose and you’ll open the doors to new opportunities

3)      Discover what you’re uniquely good at – your inner genius.

We’ve probably all been exposed to employee evaluations that focus on our weaknesses and how to improve them, a typical experience in the corporate world.

Yet studies have shown that we get the most satisfaction out of work when we’re employing our strengths.

We all have things that we’re talented at, things that come so easily to us that we don’t always recognize them as talents, but they can sometimes be challenging to identify on our own.

A career coach can help you uncover those talents, but here is one simple method to stimulate your thinking. Send an email or text message to your friends, family and co-workers and ask them to identify three talents that you have, things that come easily to you, but not to others. You’ll get some valuable information that will guide you towards your next job.

4)      Understand your values.

Values are defined as the principles we live our life by, the core beliefs that drive our actions. Examples of values include achievement, kindness, independence, respect and creativity.

If you’re unhappy with your life or career, it’s likely that something is out of alignment with your values. Understanding what those values are, and which ones are the most important to you are critical components to finding a career you love.

Start by identifying your top 10 values and what they mean to you. Then consider which careers allow you to express those values.

If you’re unsure what your values are or how to incorporate them into your life, consider consulting with a career coach.

5)      Identify your skills

There are two types of skills that employers look for, hard skills (those technical skills required to do the job), and soft skills (interpersonal skills that are transferrable from one role to another).

Make a list of all the skills you’ve obtained through your jobs, volunteer work, education or any other activity you’ve been involved in. Include both hard and soft skills. If you’re having difficulty identifying your skills, here are two methods that may help.

Look up your previous roles on O-Net Code Connector. You’ll see a list of skills, also called “Detailed Work Activities”, from which you can derive a list of your skills.

Think of projects where you’ve been successful and write a few paragraphs about what you did. Then circle the skills that you used, or for even greater clarity, read the paragraphs back to a friend and ask them to identify your skills.

6)      Update your resume

Recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds reviewing a resume, rendering it critical that yours catches their attention long enough to warrant a phone call or interview. Read the job description carefully and make sure your resume includes the skills and keywords relevant to the job.  Include specific, quantifiable examples of accomplishments that illustrate both your hard and soft skills. And don’t forget to double-check for spelling or grammatical errors.

7)      Perfect Your Linked In Profile

About 95% of recruiters look for qualified candidates on Linked IN, and nothing makes them pass you by faster than a profile that is out of date or incomplete. Ensure that your profile is current and contains descriptions of the work that you’ve done, your achievements and success stories.

Use short copy blocks or bullet points to make your profile easy to read.

Include a professional looking photo that is representative of the job you are seeking.

Set your profile to public, so you can be found in a Google search.

Let recruiters know that you’re open to opportunities by changing the privacy settings under “Career Interests”.

8)      Prepare Your Networking Strategy

Studies show that upwards of 80% of jobs are never advertised, which means that the fastest way to a job is through connecting with other people. Prepare a list of everyone you know, including previous co-workers, family and friends, and don’t limit yourself to those you think may have a job opening.  Consider everyone whose path you cross, including sports teams you belong to, your accountant, dentist, children’s teachers, veterinarian, religious organization and more. The broader your network, the more likely someone will hear about a job that is perfect for you.

Once you’ve identified your contacts, develop a system for systematically contacting and following up with them. You want to remain top-of-mind throughout your job search so that they think of you when they hear of an opportunity.

9)      Prepare for interviews

Congratulations! You’ve landed an interview. Now is the time to let your skills, accomplishments and personality shine. You need to be prepared to both ask and answer questions.

Learn as much as you can about the organization by reviewing their website, researching the industry, and investigating their culture on websites such as Glass Door.  Be prepared to ask questions about the company and your role in it.  You’ll not only demonstrate your interest in the job (which will put you a step ahead of other candidates), but you’ll also learn valuable information to determine if this is the job for you.

Prepare stories about yourself that illustrate your skills and accomplishments. Be ready to answer questions about your background as well as behavioral questions that illustrate how you act in challenging situations.  Enlist the help of a friend to practice answering common interview questions or consider consulting with a career coach.

10)  Notify your network once you’ve obtained your new job.

Your hard work has paid off and you’ve found an exciting new job. Don’t forget to notify your network and thank them for their help. Continue to remain active with your network so that you’ll always remain top-of-mind when that next opportunity come along. 

The process of identifying a new career and finding that next job can be challenging and time- consuming, but also life-changing. Follow the steps above and you’ll be on your way to finding work that you love.

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Interested in learning more? Schedule your free Discovery Call here  

Are We Supposed To Love Our Jobs?

Many years ago, before I launched my business as a Career Discovery Coach, a friend of mine said that she had given up looking for a job that she enjoyed.  She had tried jobs in several different fields, none of them which made her happy, and didn’t know what she really wanted to do. But her father, well-meaning, I’m sure, had told her that jobs weren’t meant to be enjoyed. They were simply something you did to make a living, to pay the bills and put a roof over your head.  So, she was going to give up trying to find work that she enjoyed.

I’ve since lost touch with her, but her statement has haunted me ever since.

A lot of parents say this kind of thing to their kids. Wanting the best for them. Wanting them to be able to support themselves and their families. And a lot of us tell ourselves the same thing. That we can’t make money at the things we really enjoy. That we need to be realistic and pick a career that’s “in demand”.

It’s a sad statistic. 70% of people in the U.S. today say they hate their jobs, according to a recent Gallup poll. 

At the same time, Gallup also reports that the amount of time full-time workers spend at their jobs has increased over the past ten years - to an average of 47 hours/week. That’s nearly 6 days/week. And 4 in 10 people report putting in 50+ hours.

Assuming a 40-year career, that’s 90,240 hours, give or take a few thousand.

That’s a lot of time to spend doing something that you hate.

It’s never to late to find work that you love, to find something that adds purpose and meaning to your life. It starts with self-discovery, a deep dive into your passions, skills, abilities and interests. It means discovering the work environment that fits you best, and uncovering the (hidden) limiting beliefs that may be holding you back.

It’s never too late. Sign up for a free Discovery Consultation to learn more.

And Lisa, wherever you are, I hope you’re doing something you love!