​Complacency.
It seems so innocent, yet it can be deadly for our dreams.
It is a destructive force.
Watch my Q&A from today to learn about how it is allowing you to let life slip by you and what YOU can do about it!

Read on to the end, I have a FREE challenge to help you save your career change resolution!

For 15 years I had the same News Years Resolution.  To find my way to career happiness.

And for 15 years, I never found my way.  I failed at my resolution.

There was always a reason, an excuse, a justification that I would tell myself that would make it okay to let those dreams slip away.
​
Looking back now, I know what the problem really was.

I had no clue what that my dream career looked like.  All I knew was that it wasn’t recruitment.  It was overwhelming to make such a broad and generalized resolution so it was easy to give up quickly.

That is the problem with resolutions, they are generally broad life changing statements that seem very easy and attainable at the time.  But give us a month and 80% of us have quit.  Usually because we are nowhere near that “perfect life” we had envisioned for ourselves and we are struggling because it all seems like TOO MUCH to get there.

So we give up.  And we hop back on the hamster wheel until the next year when we make those broad generalized resolutions again.

For me, I had tried everything.  I chose a word for my year, I set SMART goals, I created project plans.  But nothing seemed to work.

Then one year something clicked. I made a resolution to start making bread for our family.  That was it.  It was simple, clear and specific.  More importantly, it was ONE thing and one thing ONLY.  And I was successful.

So when the next year rolled around I wanted to recreate that magic for my career change goal.  I focused on figuring out what was the ONE thing I could focus on.  I dusted off my Job Search Roadmap to give me some guidance and it hit me.  I couldn’t find a new career when I didn’t even know what that new career looked like.  So my resolution?

To figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

That was it.  My goal was to spend a year figuring out what career happiness looked like for me and to see if there was a job that existed that would lead me there.

So that is what I did.  I went through 5 steps that led me to where I am today.  Living my purpose, waking up excited each and every day and happy with my career.

I want that for you too.

(Note: I have a fun announcement at the end of this post to help you find your way to career happiness too.)

The 5 steps are easy, they took me on a path that anyone can take.  They opened up my world to me, got me out of my head and got me moving forward.

1. The Power of Assessments
I redid many of my favourite assessments plus some new ones.  I wanted to live my purpose and I had a sense of what that purpose was but wasn’t completely clear about it. The assessments helped give me clarity.   Plus, I wanted to know more about how to live my purpose in a way that left me feeling satisfied, played up my strengths and kept me motivated to survive any career change lows.

2. Self-Discovery
I spent some time looking in the looking glass by doing a number of self-discovery exercises.  These helped me determine what was important to me in terms of what I wanted and what I didn’t want in my new career.

3. Create a Focus
I had gathered a lot of information and now I needed to do something with it – create a targeted list of careers for me to go after.  I researched.  I talked to people.  A LOT of people, conducting informational interviews so that I had the information I needed to make an informed decision.

4. Goal Setting
Once I had an idea of the career I wanted, I then felt comfortable getting started.  I set myself up for success by setting goals in a way I knew that would work for me.  Namely, flexible and gentle mini goals that focused on what I wanted. Not elaborate project plans or SMART goals that left me exhausted before I even started!

5. My Roadmap
I followed my Job Search Roadmap and prepared myself for the obstacles that I knew were to come.  And come they did!  Obstacles like fear, money, motivation and support.  But I didn’t let them get in my way, because I had a plan to overcome them.
 

A funny thing happened by creating one small but tangible goal.  I ended up finding career happiness that year.  That elusive resolution finally became my reality. 

I know my success was because I set a simple, clear and specific goal.  I went through these 5 steps and by September of that year my career coaching business was born.
​
My 2019 Resolution.
This year I have another simple, clear and specific goal.  To help YOU discover what you want to do when you grow up so that you too can find your way to career happiness.
​
Which is why I am so excited to announce my first ever challenge. 

This is a free challenge for people who know that they want a change but who don’t have complete clarity on what that change looks like. 

It is for people who want a completely different career or a simple career pivot.  It is for people who want to check to see if they are in the right career.  And it is for people who are in the right career but who want to change something about it – like if they should be going after that promotion, change industries or fight for more work/life balance.

The challenge is 5 days long and will cover each of the 5 steps above with a daily training video sent to your email, worksheets to guide you and a Facebook group to surround you with others on the same path. 

2019 is YOUR year.  Your year to make your New Year’s Resolutions happen.  Your year to Find Your Way to Career Happiness.

I can’t wait to get started!  Click here to get your free spot!

Did you catch my latest Facebook Live - Weekly Discover Your Career Q&A?  

If you are an introvert who cares about your career, then it is a must watch:

Networking is hard.  It is work after all.

It is even more difficult for us Introverts.  I know for me the thought of entering a room full of strangers is terrifying.  Trying to find someone to talk to, having to figure out WHAT to say, and the worst – how do I leave a conversation.  These are all the things that put me into an anxiety stupor and I know if I’m not careful, I’ll end up just sitting or standing by myself and not talk to anyone!

So I have had to find ways to make networking work for me, as an introvert.  And since at least 50% of the world are introverts, these are tips that could help you out too.

1. What does Networking Mean?
Networking is all about relationship building.  We all know how to do that.  Introverts just go about it differently.  I know I build relationships best by having one-on-one (or small group) conversations where I can ask lots of questions.

2. There is more to life than networking events.
My favourite type of networking is the informational interview or coffee chat.  First of all it starts off with an email!  It is usually a phone call and since I asked for it, I set the agenda so I don’t have to worry about it getting  awkward.

There are also social media groups for networking now – LinkedIn and Facebook especially.  If you live in the Halton Region – sign up for the Career Networking Group.   

Looking into conferences and training, it will get you out there and maybe you can talk to the person sitting beside you.  

3. Networking Events are possible

First of all, I don’t do cocktail events and I always skip on that portion of an event since it is an introvert’s nightmare.  That is why the first CNG event I’m hosting is a cocktail event (coming in January) since I know it will be a safe space for me to finally get over this fear.

But I do like the dinner events, where I can sit down and have conversations with people at the table.  And for me, it is all about preparation.  Preparing for events really helps my anxiety and nervousness.

• I have a list of questions that I can ask people.
• I have some talking points about myself ready.
• I have my business cards. 
• And most importantly, I have a goal of how many people I will talk to.  (Usually, I will introduce myself to everyone at my table and have at least 1 in depth conversation).

4. Find a networking buddy.
​
Find another introvert, but don’t enable each other.  Push each other!