by Siobhán Fitzpatrick
So I would regard myself as one of the lucky ones. At the young age of 19 and through pure fluke, at I stumbled upon the career I knew I wanted to do for the ‘rest of my life’. It was to create and deliver magical and inspiring event experiences. Every morning I would wake up with excitement to go to work.
My dream career found me living in the city of DREAMS – NYC, where I got to work with incredible companies and travel the world doing what some referred to as ‘work’ but I could only describe as ‘enriched experiences’. After seven years there, I moved to London to further my career growth and expand my experiences.
Siobhan Fitzpatrick
Unwanted Change
However something happened 21 years after that original epiphany of finding my dream career! I fell out of love with what I was doing. As I write that it sounds flippant but this was a massive devastation for me, as nothing had really changed in my life so why had I come to this place of unhappiness, un-fulfillment, confusion and I’ll be honest massive stress! The later was having a huge affect on my life in general and ultimately resulted in an unplanned visit to A&E and multiple ECG tests! This was when I knew something had to change. But what???
Being an independent and self-sufficient woman, I thought the only person to come up with a solution was me! That solution was to stop doing what I was doing (well the doctor also hinted at this too) and I took that quite literally. But in stopping what I was doing, meant I had to replace it with something else – BUT AGAIN WHAT?
Wasting time!
I spent the next 4-5 years drifting in the hopes of finding that ‘something’ and not surprisingly – I DIDN’T FIND IT! However I did meet someone who helped me get clarity on who I was and what I was looking for in life! Again, sounds quite simple and something I thought I was already aware of – WRONG! I was who I became through the journey I’d been on with many different companies with many different values and drivers, each important to them and their journey of success however they didn’t fit with mine.
Getting clarity
By getting reacquainted with my values; what made me tick; what motivated me and lets be honest, what I was down right good at (a little modestly put aside there), I discovered what I’d been missing all these years and that was ‘ADDING VALUE’! Yes, I wasn’t adding any true purpose or value to anyone’s lives that would ultimately make a life changing difference. Once I knew that, I could see possibilities that were there all along, I was just too blinded by the past and its restrictions to see the ‘true me’ and what I could do.
Today, I am honoring my values and making a difference to other peoples lives by helping them achieve what I know they can achieve by being true to themselves.
So if you are currently feeling a little lost, unhappy or un-fulfilled with your career, invest a little time in yourself and do these simple steps:
- Get Clear – Getting clear on your core values is an invaluable process and one which will reward every decision you make whether relating to your personal life or career. Values are who you are, not who you think you should be in order to fit in. They are the things you believe are important in the way you work and live. If we don’t know what’s important to us, we spend a lot of time wandering and wondering what we should be doing.
- Honor Your Values – Once you’re clear on your values, take each one in turn and ask yourself – ‘Am I living in congruency with my values?’ Use recent experiences to sense check this. When actions and values are aligned, life feels content, in harmony with your purpose; you have peace of mind, even in challenging times. If there’s an area in your life which you’re unhappy with, ask yourself – ‘Am I truly honoring my values here?’
- If you don’t take control of your life, someone else will – If after the last point you need to make some changes in your life to be realigned with what’s important to you, now is the time to do so. And if you can’t do it alone, find someone that can help you move forward to a happier and more content future.
BIO
Siobhán Fitzpatrick is a personable and experienced career coach with a talent for understanding and developing people’s unique talents, strengths and abilities. She is passionate about working in an empowering atmosphere, encouraging growth, change and success.
Siobhán works with clients on a one-2-one basis in person or for clients unable to travel, via Skype. She has practices in both London and Dublin and works with clients across the world (from LA – Europe – Hong Kong).
Check out her website www.catseyecoaching.comfor more information about her work and more specificially on her Career Changer programs go to http://www.catseyecoaching.com/hate-mondays-discover-work-love-career-change-workshop/
