Many among us lead professional lives that originated in early choices we made as young teenagers. These choices lead to schooling, training, degrees, and certifications. Then there are those who chose to follow their talents, setting aside conventional channels for education and instead acquired the essential training themselves. They studied elements that interested them and turned their naturally-given ability into a specialty and livelihood. When it comes to our modern professional force, these two paths for professional development make the majority of its members.
Regardless of how they chose their professional path, a small group exists within the workforce, consisting of folks who are experiencing growing disillusions with their career choice. Those doubts are fed through a variety of channels.: poor advisement early on, unmet expectations from the career once they embarked on it, personal growth that landed them far from the comfort zone they hoped to occupy, and more. They look for a way to change their professional trajectory and find that better place without destabilizing their lives. They wonder what direction they should utilize to restore the interest and excitement they used to enjoy before this turn. This disillusionment and the curiosity about what may lay elsewhere pushes them to seek answers to many what-if questions, and may likely be causing setbacks and stress in other areas of their life. The question looms: are they in the right professional place, and if not, how can they find it?
Many life coaching sessions are initiated by this question. The process is delicate and takes time. It involves mining for hopes, desires, abilities, and accountabilities. Exercises such as soul searching, risk analysis, odd-making, and careful reasoning are some of the elements used in the coaching process. Once certain terms of the process are met, the coachee may proceed with carefully executing steps designed to facilitate the desired change. The new reality that emerges at the conclusion of the process will be well worth the investment and effort put into it.