Is your Career aligned with your values? If it isn't, you need to be brave....

Is your career aligned with your values? If it isn’t you need to be brave..... 

 The last year has caused many of us to stop and re-consider some or all aspects of our lives. Whether it was our relationships, our physical or mental health, our lifestyle or our career I think we’ve all had something tested. Underpinning all these issues are our values, consciously or sub-consciously they shape the way we think, feel and react. What is important to us?   What do we really value? 

When I was made redundant in the summer of 2020 I set about “finding another job” and my first reaction was to search for something like the role I had just lost. I had liked my colleagues, enjoyed my work and it wasn’t my choice to leave. The obvious solution seemed to find something just like it and be happy again.  I had conversations and interviews with potential employers, but the “similar” jobs didn’t inspire me in the way I thought they would.  I was left feeling flat and confused, after all my career defines a large part of me so where would I be without it? 

What had happened?   The pandemic had given me TIME, something I hadn’t had much of before 2020. Time to stop, think, reflect and re-evaluate. For the first time in 25 years, I was kicked off the career treadmill and I realised I didn't really know what I wanted to do next. 

I made the best investment in myself that I could think of, I got a business coach. In the very first session I had to explore my values and with that I had to consider whether every aspect of my life – work, family, friends etc aligned with those values.  I won’t bore you with details, but I realised things about myself and my values that called into question the career path I had been on. Not the subject matter (I realised recruitment is at my core) but the way I was working.   

A couple more sessions with my business coach cemented my plan to take the plunge and turn away from being an employee, with the stable salary and benefits, and become my own boss. I work better under my own steam; I’ve always known that. I had to be brave, and at times it felt a bit reckless with a mortgage and three children, but knowing that for the first time in 20 years my career aligns with my values is truly inspiring. I feel energised and in control in a way that I haven’t ever done. The fear hasn’t gone away but I’ve learnt to feel it, accept it and use it in a positive way. 

So if this resonates with you and at the end of a tough year you cannot face returning to your old job or your old working patterns please get in touch for a confidential discussion. There are other roles and other ways of working that might suit you. 

Oh, and if you need a good business coach, I have someone I can highly recommend!