Donna's Story

Donna hired me this past June to work through a much-needed career change. Over the years she had moved from a demanding career in the financial industry to working in a retail shop selling handmade products from third world countries, for a non-profit organization promoting fair trade and income for artisans in the developing world.

As we progressed through the career work, she also mentioned that it had been some time since her last romantic relationship and she was ready to begin dating again, so we added that focus into our work as well.

As you would imagine, jumping into both of these pursuits simultaneously could be overwhelming and at times for her it was. So we took one week at a time and focused only on specific actions steps in both areas. Donna had been very resistant in the past to online dating sites, but was cautiously interested in exploring that option. I suggested she begin by “dipping her toe in the water” and first visit several different sites to get a feel for what was out there. She did that and soon selected one that happened to be running a special on membership at that time. She still felt hesitant, so I suggested she just complete the profile and see what that felt like. She didn’t have to post it unless or until she felt right about doing it. The point was to take small, forward steps and trust what her instincts would tell her along the way.

We went through much the same process with her career search. We reviewed and updated her resume and cover letter I suggested she send them in response to any job she found remotely interesting. We also expanded her search to include additional online search sites that she had not tried before and networking more assertively with friends and colleagues, while further defining what she really wanted from her next career opportunity.

Fast forward to today, only a few months later, and she is in a promising relationship with an amazing guy (her words) with whom she has a lot in common, and just started a great new job doing and experiencing many of the things that were on her “what I require in my next career” lists that we had crafted.

The really neat thing is that Donna had been working toward all of these great things for a long time. And of course she could have done it all on her own, eventually. But in working with me, she allowed herself to be held accountable to deadlines, to get objective input and advice on strategies, and have old thoughts framed in new ways so that moving forward took a lot less time!

That is my greatest hope in working with clients. To help bring out the best of what you already possess, and to help you move forward to what it is you really, really want much faster than you would on your own.

Are you sitting right on the edge of making your move, poised to finally take off and still thinking, “I can do it on my own. It’s just a matter of self-discipline and giving it my full attention.” Has that worked well for you in the past? Will it happen now?

In a couple of days I’ll give you the link to my new “Life in Focus” and “Career in Focus” e-courses. They are ready. Stay tuned…