The 10 Steps and how it helped me… a note to the career coach

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Dr Denise Taylor

11 July 2010

It may seem very logical for some people but when you’re in the middle of a crisis or funk, when you just can’t see the woods for the trees and cannot dig yourself out of that black hole of de-motivation, the thought of dusting yourself off in readiness for the next adventure in life can tip you over the edge! So that is when the thoughtful 10 steps structure can be a head clearing godsend! The key I think is that it makes you stop and THINK!

You may not meet everything on your wish list of a utopian job, but at least you are clearer about what it is you like and dislike and being realistic in terms of what you can or will put up with on the way to getting there. Some of the thought provocation is difficult, especially near the end if you’re not used to thinking of yourself in terms of a product or service or sales pitch! What do you do well? Sleep was my first response.

In my case I was finally made redundant after years of living through political and hierarchical machinations of torture in terms of job roles, organisation structure and performance measurements. Communication was diabolical and we all basically stayed for truly wrong reasons. For me this was a release and I was one of the few wandering round the office with a smile for the last 3 months, but…I had no clue (as usual) what to do next as like with every other job throughout my increasingly long life, I had just ‘fallen’ into it. There was no master plan of action; I just need ‘a’ job with little thought to enjoyment as long as it paid the bills and for trips abroad. The thought of actually doing anything I enjoyed as a job was just didn’t enter my brain.

So I went through the steps and did laugh as so few of my previous roles had anything much to do with my passions or natural skills and instincts. In fact a lot of the time I have gone against my natural temperament and abilities, though paying tribute to them occasionally in some roles I’d had I had mostly developed ‘interventions’ to develop the skills I have.

So my decision after a nice long holiday to think some more and have a bit of a collapse after 10 years at the same place was to try university and see if study would actually assist me in finding a concrete path to something I truly enjoy doing. Ultimately I’m still learning about myself and still finding my way in terms of alternative job roles. The last few steps are in no way near completion, but I do have my steps with me that I can update and confirm and think about. I know my values and that life is short and its way too short to spend in a job you hate or company that destroys your life energy and soul. So I highly recommend the journey, even if you can’t answer all the questions yet, talking to people and learning along the way questioning yourself will mean you start to get more answers! And who knows, one day I might hit upon that role that leaps out at me and shouts UTOPIA!!!

To sign up for the 10 Steps to a job you love eProgramme (no charge!) visit www.amazingpeople.co.uk

The 10 Steps and how it helped me… a note to the career coach

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