The Brimful Life Story: Life is Short. Live it Fully.
Before working with the Cardy Career Coaching team I wasn’t feeling super fulfilled with my career. It was kind of hard to put my finger on because I liked my job, the people I worked with, and my level of success and income. I just had a nagging feeling I was meant to do something different. My career wasn’t the career I would have created from a blank slate. I did feel stuck because my job paid well, was stable, and I was really good at it. It was hard to disrupt a great life. It’s so easy to stay comfortable.
I received a wakeup call when my boss gave me a card celebrating 10 years at my job. I was shocked! That went by fast. You get so busy; it just goes by. That scared me. If I didn’t do anything different, then at some point time would run out. It felt like a window was closing. It made me think about the future. Maybe there was more for me. If I didn’t do something soon, they’d be holding my retirement party before I knew it. I didn’t want to die having only worked in corporate America.
I didn’t know what I wanted. It was challenging to want to do something different without a clear vision for what that would look like. I had a lot of broad interests. I kept thinking, “Well I could do that… or that… or that’s interesting.” But what would sustain my interest? I wanted something more creative with more control, something smaller where I could feel really connected to my work.
I did a lot of thinking, journaling, talking to people, and reading articles on my own. I was watching a lot of shark tank. I wanted to match or exceed my current finances. I was googling, “how to get out of golden handcuffs”. I thought a lot about starting my own business. I was trying to figure out how to make a lot of money with something that I wouldn’t mind doing. A successful entrepreneur friend gave me the advice that if you’re going to start a business, it needs to be a passion, and my ideas didn’t sound like me.
The end result of coaching wasn’t what I expected, but it was what I needed. I thought I’d get clarity on an industry or job title. What I wanted turned out to be so specific that I learned I was going to need to create it.
It’s Okay Not to Know Everything
My coach taught me that it’s ok not to know everything, but you have to get started. You can’t think your way through this process. You have to learn by doing. I got a mind re-design around thinking about my career. We validated what I suspected that the job I wanted wasn’t out there, and I got a lot of moral support and encouragement. I left with confidence that things are going to happen when I do them. There’s not a playbook or one right way.
Some of the things I did included planning experiences, writing and publishing a book, and starting a podcast. Doing these things helped me to channel my energy and ultimately led to my current venture, The Brimful Life. The Brimful Life is all about ideas and inspiration to live fully. It’s about joy, laughter, and connection. I’m just having a lot of fun, doing the things that bring me joy, and going for fulfillment. Life is short. Live it fully.
Structure and Resources to Move Forward
Coaching provides structure and a lot of resources, but it’s also tailored to what you’re trying to do. It’s not traditional advice. It’s guiding and talking through what you want and the best way for you to move forward. I would recommend to clients that they need to be open to the fact that what you think you need may not be what you get out of it. Also, your coach can coach you, but you still have to do the work.
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