Back in 2019, we had moved house and I was a bit stuck in my career.
How was I stuck in my career when I run my own business? Well, things were going quite well, but I couldn’t see the path forward.
I’m Stuck
I knew I needed to do something, but I had no idea what I needed to do. The path forward was obscured, and no matter how many billions powerful questions I asked myself, I couldn’t get a clear answer.
When moving to our new house, we made a priority: get the inside sorted (I am never again living in the house while plastering gets done, nuh-uh, no thank you). We set the intention, figured out our lists: “must have done before we move in” and our “it would be nice to have that done but if it doesn’t we won’t cry or argue about it”.
Coaching Tip 1: catergorise your To Do/Wish lists.
There is always something we are willing to compromise on. When you decide that upfront, it’s much easier to act on it, and it doesn’t feel like giving in.
But the outside? That garden that hadn’t been taken care of for years? That would wait.
So as I was struggling to figure out my path, I would stare out the window, being tempted by the mess in the garden that was calling out to me to get sorted. I often said “not now”, got to get my future sorted out first.
Coaching Tip 2: follow the urge to take action.
It could be productive procrastination which means that you at least get something done that you feel good about.
One day, I decided to follow my urge. The garden was a mess, and the sight was doing my head in. I couldn’t see my career path. And I couldn’t see the path to my back gate! Everything was overgrown and out of place.
Coaching Tip 3: Take an action in order to get an answer.
I decided that if I couldn’t figure out my career path, I’d at least clear the path to my back gate. On a whim, I decided that this was going to help me figure out my career question.
The process of cutting, clearing, tidying up, and seeing the results as worked, was transformative.
Firstly, it felt great. Fresh air, physical activity, getting things done. Loads of dopamine hits. Perfect mindset for problem-solving. Secondly, I saw how much benefit I was getting from clearing out the unnecessary.
When I got rid of what wasn’t needed, the path literally became clear.
So I applied that to my career by asking: What do I need to clear out so that I can see the path?
I looked at all my activities, tasks, plans etc and identified what I needed to tidy up or clear out.
My career path became clear.
Coaching Tip 4: Task for you.
- Find that thing that physically needs clearing up. That pile of paper on your desk. That spot in the attic/spare room/shed/garage that needs clearing out. Those old kids toys you’ve been meaning to do something with.
It can be anything but must require physical activity to clear out (This is key. This is not a cognitive, reflective exercise).
2. Now go clear it out. Enjoy the process. Let yourself feel good for getting it done finally.
3. Now reflect: what has this activity told me about this thing I need to figure out?
Worst case, you get that task done. But I’m pretty sure you’ll get insights about your challenge too.
Enjoy.
If you want help with the reflection part, book a Let’s Explore session. It’s free, and I’ll take you through the reflection so you get useful, actionable answers. Don’t stay stuck.
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Let’s connect.