The pandemic significantly reshaped the workforce – prompting individuals to reassess their career goals and prioritise happiness and personal fulfilment – leading to a growing trend in non-conventional career paths.

Whether it’s engaging in freelancing, starting their own business, creating a portfolio career, training in a new area, or a mix of all these and more, people are escaping the constraints of traditional careers.

As a professional coach, I help my clients build a working life they love, focusing on authenticity, personal fulfilment, and embracing change.

COACHING LESSONS

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from working with my clients.

The main reasons you don’t feel fulfilled in your working life is that you:

🚫 Aren’t challenged, energised, or excited
🚫 Don’t feel appreciated and recognised as an individual
🚫 Feel constrained by a lack of ownership and autonomy
🚫 Don’t have enough chance to play to your strengths
🚫 Feel a lack of alignment with your personal values

Some of the ways you can define and create the working life you want include:

🎯 Instead of adhering to societal standards of success, defining what success means to you personally – what brings you joy and fulfilment

⚡Leveraging your own unique skills and interests rather than trying to fit into predefined job roles – being authentically you

☀ Creating a working life that supports the life you desire, rather than the other way around – designing work that provides freedom and flexibility

🍃 Instead of making drastic changes overnight, taking small, manageable steps toward your desired career and lifestyle – this can feel less daunting and more achievable

🔥 Developing a personal and professional brand that reflects your true self and resonates with the right audience – attracting opportunities that align with your unique values and goals

🛜 Building genuine connections and a supportive community can help you gain insights, support, and opportunities – and is often more impactful than traditional networking

♻️ Being resilient and courageous in the face of fear, self-doubt, and societal pressures – building your support resources and networks to help you on your journey

If you’re thinking about ‘what next?’ in your career and are looking to find more meaning and fulfilment, I’d love to help you.

What lessons have you learned from creating a career on your terms?