A Need For Something New
Earlier in the year I enlisted some help to figure out my next career move. I was feeling stuck. Thoughts of learning a new job seemed unappealing and after a few months of looking around, I wasn’t finding anything that got me excited. A global pandemic and flooded job market weren’t making things any easier.
Two Notions – Gifts & Adventure
Two notions eventually drove the decision for me to be my own boss and fully launch Vantage Point Initiatives, my consulting business.
In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren suggests one way to identify the personal gifts God has given us is to pay attention to the things that really get our heart beating faster. These are skills or activities you enjoy that give a boost of adrenaline when you think about or do them.
Coaching and leading through transformative moments does that for me. It’s why I’ve loved coaching youth soccer. It’s why I volunteered with backcountry search and rescue teams for 13 years. From a career perspective, some of the most fulfilling moments I’ve had came from leading pivotal change projects.
Supporting someone else’s efforts at success, helping push through barriers, and putting order to chaotic situations is fun ‘work’ for me. The ability to do this well is a gift and I want to share it with others.
The second notion came from an exercise my friend Dr. Jackie Nguyen at Optimal Careers walked me through. She asked me to write down what I thought my greatest accomplishments were. As I reflected, two pivotal moments came to mind.
At 21 I flew from the east coast to Boulder, CO for the summer with $500 in my bank account. I had no job and only a temporary place to live. Despite a lot of uncertainty, it became the best summer of my life. Viewing the unknown as an opportunity rather than a threat changed the trajectory of my life forever, in more ways than one.
A year later I moved to California with a bit of graduation money, no job, and no idea what I wanted to do. I made that work too – finding amazing friends and starting a career doing things that helped make the world a little better. It was one of the best decisions of my life.
I see these as some of my greatest accomplishments because I sought out adventure and experience without knowing where it would lead. Despite a major unknown, I never doubted my ability to figure things out. That confidence helped me take the first step in these life-altering journeys.
The Decision
As I thought through these two notions, the fog obstructing the next step in my career began to lift. A new path emerged. The decision to pursue this adventure, to go out on my own, became obvious.
I’ve worked for non-profits, in higher education, and in the corporate world too. I earned a master’s in change management and gained a lot of practical experience over the last 17 years. As I sit perched on a career I am proud of, in my professional prime, I realize I want to help many companies navigate transformative change, not just one!
The real question now is, why shouldn’t I?
Being my own boss and helping transform multiple companies at a time has always been a dream career for me. I have an opportunity to seek out adventure and experience without knowing where it will lead. One thing I know for sure though is when I look back years from now, I won’t regret making this decision.
So, I’m taking this big step now, and it’s time to get to work.
Contact me to learn more about change management strategies that can help your business evolve.
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