Does your career story fit together like this one?

We are the accumulation of every experience we’ve ever had and every decision we’ve ever made. That’s why we’re together now, me having written this and you reading it.

Let me explain my career metaphor, and as I do, start to notice how the pieces of your jigsaw fit together to create who you are now and your own career metaphor. 

If I describe my career and who I am now, I do it something like this;

I help people to create careers they love that support a lifestyle they choose: to be successful on their own terms. It brings together all of the key elements of my past.

I am helping them to decide where to go and to map out the journey to get there. My first career was as a cartographer, making physical rather than career maps, but nevertheless, giving people tools to navigate their own journey.

I also show them strategies and skills that help them to get there more efficiently. That’s what computer programmes do, and my second career was in computer systems development, creating systems and routines to make the business more efficient.

The skills and tools I share with my clients now help them make their career journey more efficient.

For example, strategies to feel confident when and where they want to, or to deal with difficult situations at work, or create better relationships with colleagues and customers. They achieve their results more effectively.

That’s my professional background, but my experiences on expeditions in the remote and high places of this world are what holds their career together. Expeditions are about achieving amazing things. Sometimes things we only ever dreamt of or even didn’t think possible at one time. They are also about enjoying the journey, overcoming unexpected challenges, and returning safely to look at the map and decide “where next?”.

That’s what careers are about too. Achieving amazing things, having the mindsets and mental resilience to keep going, to get past any difficulties, and to decide your journey for yourself. 

I once went through an amazing experience called Core Process, facilitated by Andrew Horder. It culminates in a two word phrase that describes the core of who you are that runs through all the key things that you do and have done.

Mine came out as “Inciting Awesomeness”, which I think describes well what I do now with my clients and what I have done, particularly with young people, through scouting roles and teaching swimming. What I do now is give individuals an insight into their own awesomeness and I challenge and incite them to go and be as awesome as they can be.

Over to you:

•   What’s your metaphor or story, and how does it fit with your life now?
•   What do you think your two words would be?

Until Andrew took me through the process, I would never have come up with my two words, but they’ve been so useful in focusing on the things that really bring me joy and make a difference.  If you’d like an introduction to Andrew to find out more, contact me. 

I’m happy to tell you more about what I got from it too.