Here are some of the best quotes from my smart, successful coaching clients that crack me up:
😂 I don’t know how I’m here. This was only meant to be an internship. I don’t even like working with numbers!
😂 I only took this consulting job cos I wanted the free lunches!
😂 Big IT companies are breeding grounds for mediocrity!
😂 Management consulting is like an abusive relationship. You love the financial perks but it can be pretty toxic!
😂 My colleagues there were like half-dead guys in ill-fitting suits!
😂 I only went into this cos my dad told me to!
😂 I hate my job. I don’t even like law!
😂 I feel like I’m sleep-walking through life!
😂 Financial services are boring!
The list goes on.
It’s actually not v funny – but the blank tones with which the above are said always catch me off guard, signalling huge misalignment with the self.
Often clients have normalised the above but they are also so over it that they can no longer ignore the need for change.
It’s not normal to feel dead inside.
Or apathy for work that consumes 5 days’ of your week. That’s 240 days a year!
Imagine loving every moment of your work instead?!
Strangely, these zombie like statements excite me because they show an acute departure from the self that isn’t hard to untangle.
But it’s scary how lost we can become – + how many of us follow careers cos our parents suggested it or cos it ‘made sense’.
Psychological research shows our behaviours often don’t even reflect our actual personalities but situational forces around us whether a psychopathic parent inciting criminal behaviour in offspring or us all getting the Covid vaccine because that’s the default obligation on the majority. It takes gumption + consciousness to truly reflect + make inner-directed decisions aligned with our true selves in a way that may depart from norms.
Careers are no different.
We want to please + provide for others.
We’re moulded to believe high paying jobs like law + consulting equal success. But psychology also shows that monetary rewards, while initially appealing, only engage us for so long.
As I read the above testimonial from a sparky client who dug deep to connect with what SHE truly wanted, I felt a surge of gratitude that my inner monologue is so different to the comments above.
Instead, I found myself thinking, as I often do post client calls: ‘How do I get paid for this?!’
Because the truth is, it’s inspiring working with bright, brave souls with the courage to challenge the status quo, think for themselves + dig deep to find what truly makes them happy.
+ the best bit?
Big changes are easy when you’re clear on your roadmap to happiness.
As Maya Mendoza reminds us:
‘No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams’.
Ps. Shifting role doesn’t have to mean dropping salary. S’all in the strategy!
