Feeling stuck?

Need direction?

That’s what I’ve heard from more than one client lately, so if you feel that way too you’re not alone.

If you’re like most of them, you’ve made the best of your work situation for a while—even years. You are really good at seeing the silver lining and finding new projects to keep your interest, so you kept hoping one or both of those would make things better.

All that extra work takes its toll though until you finally admit to feeling stuck. It’s unsettling.

Why is this situation different? Why are all your usual strategies not working this time?

Then something big happens that makes it imperative to do something NOW. It can be a loved one’s sickness, a surprise pregnancy or the new year’s fast approach. Whatever the reason, it feels like it’s time to figure it out.

Then comes the A student due diligence of reviewing coach websites and blogs, and reading or listening to my books. If you’re doing this, you want to choose the right partner.

Halfway through our phone consultation, the real questions surface:

First: Can I help?

Yes, I tell clients, I’m confident we can help you feel more clear. Whether that means moving onto another career or changing your business to make it work more profitably for you, our conversations will help you find the answer you’re looking for and a renewed surge of energy.

And second: Will it work?

We all want a sure thing. In order to invest the time, money and energy into something this important, you have to know it’ll be worth it.

I offer to put them in touch with previous clients, and send them testimonials from my website and LinkedIn profile, but it’s something deeper they are asking.

As we speak further it’s clear they already trust me. They wouldn’t have scheduled the call if they didn’t.

It’s that all the effort of trying hard to make it work where they are now is wearing on them—and their confidence. They don’t trust themselves. Or they don’t trust that there is a better option than the one they’re in now.

They wonder if they wait a little longer, if they’ll “get over it.” As if feeling stuck is a phase that they will grow out of once they find something else to focus their attention on.

But what they’re really afraid of is that at the end of our work, they may feel as stuck as they did before—that our work could fail—and that is more exhausting, unsettling and frightening than continuing to make the best of where they are.

Here’s what I say to them:

It will work. You will feel clearer and more confident. You’ll know better what you want, and why. You’ll remove roadblocks getting in your way of thinking. The answer may be different than either of us imagined going into our coaching, and sometimes that’s the best part. The delightful surprise when things start falling into place, and you realize you’re on the path. It’s already working. You’ll feel excited again. Your energy and drive will return, and the stuckness will feel like ancient history.

I can say that with certainty because I’ve seen it happen with clients just like you.

If these are the questions you’re sorting through right now as you prepare for the start of another year, and a new decade, let’s get on the phone.

Schedule a consultation and we’ll talk through what’s missing and what you want next. I’m happy to suggest resources you might try, other coaches who could be a good fit, or share my coaching process so you can make the right choice for you.

And if you’re still in the research phase, my first book, I’m scared & doing it anyway, is now on Audible so I can come along with you over the river and through the woods to your grandmother’s house this season.

I believe in you, and in what’s possible when we work together.

Do you have to make less to do what you love?

When contemplating a leap into a new career or business, it’s hard not to start negotiating right away.

I could probably live with a small pay cut.

Maybe the hours won’t be so bad.

Yeah, it’s a lot of driving, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.

Because of that pre-negotiating, it can feel nearly impossible to leap. As if you have to choose between what you value, like either you’ll enjoy your work or have the financial security you crave.

How could anyone choose between those? Why should anyone have to?

You don’t have to give something up in order to be happy at work.

You can make a stable, sizable income enjoying what you do.

The first step toward that is to stop negotiating before you have to. Instead, picture what you really want. All the bells and whistles. Benefits, paid vacation, freedom and flexibility.

Yes, even if you work for yourself all of these are possible.

Once you’ve made an initial list, get more granular. Based on the number of hours you want to be working, what will you do with the rest of the time? For instance, if you’d also like to finish your novel, then specify how many hours per week you want for that too so you’re building the fullest picture.

Your list, what we call your Ideal Work Profile, can contain details about what a work day looks like, how much travel is involved, how many or few people you interact with, what your office looks like or if there is one at all, how you feel valued, how you’re compensated, and what you do when the work is done.

Normally during the second call with clients, we make this profile together. If you really want a change, we need to know what to aim for.

Don’t know yet what you’re doing to make this salary? No problem. Believe it or not, the smaller details on your profile will inform the bigger questions that may still be fuzzy.

Meaning, if you know you want to work 5 hours a day mainly from home with a couple outside meetings each week, then the industries, organizations and opportunities will sort themselves around these requirements. Or rather, you’ll start seeing opportunities coming your way through the lens of the Ideal Work Profile you’ve created.

Make your list first and let everyone else, including your customers, negotiate themselves into your ideal.

It’s pretty incredible what happens then.

I’ve watched clients achieve the income they desired, the appreciative colleagues and clients they hoped for, and the downtime with loved ones that had felt like a far-off dream.

If you want to build your Ideal Work Profile together, we can discuss that in a consultation.

If you’d like to build this list in an intimate circle with everyone doing it together, comparing notes, and supporting each other really going for it, my signature program Career Clarity & Community starts on Wednesday. The other women coming forward are building their own businesses, clarifying what they want for themselves and why so we can get there together.

Let’s make your leap a reality.