Get real. How well do you know yourself?

Recently I got a call from an old career coaching client. Her company had presented her with a yet-to-be flushed out dream opportunity, but she was so hyper-focused on finalizing the job description, she was missing the bigger picture: a diamond ring had just landed in her lap! After I helped her see the 30,000 foot view, walk in her boss’s shoes for a moment and realize what this leap could mean to her career trajectory long-term, she moved from frustrated to exhilarated. Her life-long tendency to obsess over the details almost cost her an incredible, life-changing opportunity!

Having worked in the field of coaching, leadership development and human potential since 1996, I’ve noticed that people with a high degree of self- awareness tend to roll with the punches, know how to leverage their strengths, are more comfortable taking risks and often find it easier to cultivate self-compassion for their shortcomings.

COVID has had a huge impact on my ability to travel and speak (this is how I put bread on the table) and it’s requiring me to revisit old mental train stops I haven’t been to in years!  Somedays I’m watching myself flail like a fish out of water. I’m an ENTJ if you know Myers Briggs speak. As a strategist and a visionary, I value efficiency and am keen on using my energy and talents in the most effective way possible. This pandemic is requiring me to let go of goals, practice “good is good enough,” problem-solve in new ways and surrender and let go.

Knowing how I’m wired has really helped me weather this time with greater ease. 

What makes you tick? Our sister company Career Strategists uses a few career/personality assessments with clients (we really like the StrengthsFinder 2.0, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the DISC Assessment, but there are many more). Check with your HR department or university alumni career services office for help or find a great career coach. Regarding individual therapy (read 5 tips for finding a therapist), I really like Somatic Experiencing, Imago, and even assessments like the Enneagram and 5 Love Languages, can be helpful tools. Working with a leadership or business coach can also be illuminating. 

I challenge you to do some belly button gazing this week; learning more about your make-up takes inquisitiveness and courage. Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What do you need to be successful at work? In your relationships?
• What is your best time of day (and your worst)? When are you most productive?
• What self-limiting habits keep you from living fully and owning your power?
• Describe the “lens” through which you see life? Are you’re an optimist or a pessimist by nature?
• What are three words your close friends would use to describe you?

One of my favorite quotes is from author Wayne Dyer is, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” Perspective is everything!

COULD YOUR EMPLOYEES OR TEAM USE SUPPORT FOR FINDING BALANCE?

I’M BOOKING ONLINE PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS FOR 2023-24. Consider hiring me to create an online experience to help your team, organization or employees feel less stressed and more resilient, creative and focused. For 20+ years I’ve been working with companies/organizations like Merrill Lynch, the Center for Women in Law, Kaiser Permanente, the Hewlett Foundation and more.  Whether it’s a workshop, keynote or custom retreat via Zoom, I’d love to discuss how I can support your team or organization. Learn more here.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by transformational coach/author/speaker Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art and science of self-care, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 400 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead life coaching groups and women’s retreats based on her work. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 18-year-old son. More on Renee here.