Social media is full of messages of reflection on 2016. A common theme seems to be "let's get the hell out of this year and try again tomorrow". That's a bit how I was feeling in early 2016. But I made a decision, which in retrospect has turned 2016 into my year of learning, and a year that I wouldn't mind holding on to for another few months!
This year, at the age of 42, I resigned from a pretty comfortable senior position, so that I could take a year to figure out what I want to do "when I grow up".
I am now five months into my "year off". It has been a terrifying, exciting, happy, soulful, emotional, and stretching experience. For a while, I completely lost my sense of identity and went through a crisis of "who am I if I am not my job?" (More on that in a future post). Happily, I am past that stage of angst and am far more comfortable being me, rather than being my work (although, this too is a journey!)
These are some of the things I learned in 2016:
I need a lot less than I have - possessions have become so much less important than connection and experiences.
Taking time out, to just BE, to just BREATH, is critical to my sanity and to connecting with myself and the world around me.
It's not as difficult as I once thought, to be brave, and to have the life that I want - but it is completely up to me to make it happen. I have learned that I have the strength to do just that!
Change actually really excites me and brings with it a multitude of opportunities to learn.
Actively engaging in life, as a learning opportunity, has reignited my passion and sense of purpose.
Humans have this marvelous capacity to reinvent themselves if they are willing to be curious.
Take a leap of faith. Yes of course there is the risk that you might fail, but you also might FLOURISH. And if worst comes to worst, at least you will learn something about yourself!
So what have you learned in 2016?
And how are you going to use what you have learned, to shape your experiences in 2017?
I love conversations and would love to engage with you on your career and how you are managing yourself and your career like a business.
I believe "managing your career like a business" means having insight on where you want to go in your career, the agility and resilience to change track when necessary, competence to navigate transition points, and self-awareness to manage yourself.
I help you do that through one-on-one coaching, CV and LinkedIn profile writing, topic-specific workshops and a suite of blogs and other materials available on my website. Want more information? Drop me a message and I will get back to you asap.
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