You’ve come to a point where you are just simply stuck. Things aren’t working for you and a vague sense of dissatisfaction creeps in during those few quiet moments when you have time to reflect. Too big and nebulous of an issue to deal with, you change the subject in your head and move on.
This is exactly where I was in early 2008, happy and successful in my career until I said out loud “I don’t think I can do this for another 20 years.” Which quickly became “I don’t think I can do this another 5 years.” Once voiced I could no longer silence or ignore what my mind, body and soul were telling me. There was more for me to give and I needed to figure out what that was. But how?
Having selected a career and charted a course to help people reach their goals through financial planning, what else could I do? Where could I go? After 20 years in a professional career did this mean starting over? How? Could I get out of my own head and look at things objectively? Would I be able to ask myself the tough questions that would move me forward? I didn’t have a clue.
Somehow I got a clue and found myself attending the local Houston Coaches meeting. A coach to financial advisors was speaking and that was a great place to start. It was a start but not the answer and for the next six months my quest went through fits and starts. I didn’t know what I was looking for.
A conversation with the CEO of my organization provided the answer. Frustrated yet confident enough in my relationship, I shared with him this feeling of restlessness and my desire to make more of my career. He was supportive and shared some ideas but it wasn’t until I asked about working with a coach that his eyes lit up. He knew just the person and thought it a great way for me to explore what was at the heart of my unease and find some answers.
At the time, I did not know what coaching truly meant and what the outcome would be. I knew only that I need help getting out of my head and out of my own way to move forward. Excited and nervous I made that first call.