Kevin’s Story: Clarity, Confidence, and Momentum Went From Red to Green
I made the decision to sell a company I’d built a few years ago. There were immediate financial rewards to this decision. But after an initial honeymoon period with the new owner I couldn’t figure out how to make it work. The company didn’t suit who I was. I checked out some because of that. As a result I was eventually asked to leave, which was both devastating and a relief.
After figuring out the terms of the buyout and dealing with all of the emotions of this turn of events, I took some time off to do nothing and decompress in January. This extended into February. I applied for a few jobs and didn’t get called back for an interview. I was floating and directionless. Some of that was a release of cumulative years of stress.
Taking Time to Re-Evaluate
I wondered if maybe it was time to rethink everything, to take a step back and to re-evaluate. I thought, “Now’s the time to do it.” I’m in my mid-40s and am anticipating twenty more years of working life. I don’t want to be doing something stressful and burdensome. Life’s too short. I wanted to be doing something fulfilling that contributes to the world in some way while tapping into my inherent talents, strengths, and abilities. I was wondering, “Is what I’ve been doing the right path? And if not, what could be?”
The softer stuff was what felt most significant to me from my coaching experience. I learned about listening to my gut, strategies for bad days, and how to explore and get curious about my thoughts and feelings. I shifted from a more self-judgemental mindset to one that recognizes that other people feel the same things. I can let things be more instead of having to fix negative thoughts or feel bad about a past event. As a result I was able to build back my confidence, release some stress, and see more of a vision for my future.
Feeling On Track
Before coaching the three career dials of clarity, confidence and momentum were way in the red. Now all three are for sure in the green. I’m about half a year into the launch of a new company, Kadeau. I’m ready for big goals in 2021 and I’m pretty on track with those. There are still some things I’m working through, but at a big picture level things are going quite well.