February 7th
Stacy was very aware, after my email about the mission statement and other mini-meltdown, how confused I am in general about where I’m going and what will happen. Our meeting today was another of just general discussion, rather than a pre-planned itinerary. I imagine it must be a little wobbly for my long suffering (lol) coach that I’m constantly running off-script. I’m okay with itineraries and assignments but sometimes I don’t function so well, have my best ideas or make the greatest progress if I’m not improvising and bouncing around a little intellectually.
Biggest concerns for me, at this coaching session: Do I need training or a certificate? And (gah!) everything I‘m interested in costs money.
Honestly, I could go back to school right now with a quadruple major, happily and cheerfully, if it weren’t for the stressful burden of debt.
The one quote from my melt-down email that really stuck with me when I wrote it – rang gongs screaming TRUE as soon as I wrote it- was noticed by my coach:
“Or even better, something different every day. One day beauty, one day organization, next day group therapy and the next some writing/blogging. Good god…I think I want to be Pinterest.”
True… TRUE TRUE TRUE. Not in that I’m flighty or don’t want to finish anything, but really because I want to do and experience everything.
As always Stacy had suggestions for me to understand how I could pursue fields in which I have interest, without breaking my back or my bank. For example interest in counseling could be pursued on a volunteer basis. My interests in web design or website ideas could profit from online courses on these subjects, free. I’m not artistic, and don’t really make crafts on a regular basis, but what I make I make well and this could be sold on a small scale online, to see how profitable it would be or whether I even like it. My need for organization could be satisfied in a job as a virtual assistant, who are often blessed to work from home and vary their work from the mundane (paying bills) to the creative (managing social media).
One business I’ve been interested in creating involves a sort of life-skills/ learning center, something like a creative, experiential learning camp… especially for those who are under-served, overlooked or desperately confused. Another would be becoming a pre-college career coach. But a good one, not the generic cookie cutter assembly line type of help I had in high school.
A suggestion from Stacy was to read the chapter/article from a book by Michael Port on personal branding, to consider a career as a Branding Consultant. They work to diagnose what’s wrong in a business, and assess what needs changing and how. You’re hired to create a new message or to organize a new physical space.
hmm.. things to ponder!
This was the point when I approached Stacy with my idea for this blog. It had been germinating for a while especially after her suggestion that I blog generally, and I’d come up with the idea to document this process as it went along and what changes occur.
I see a note here about “not fitting the normal structure of a job path”. I’m really not sure if that coaching note applied to what I’m doing, or what I want to do. Now I think both. I really must take better notes. 🙂
Stacy asked:
- In what I am most confident? My ideas.
- What am I most afraid of? Looking like an idiot.
This week the homework was somewhat dictated by my concerns, worries and questions, and sidetracked (I think) from the normal process of discovery in coaching.
My homework is to utilize the steps Stacy taught me for investigating careers along the way. (It’s February 21st now and I still haven’t started because I’ve been typing non-stop on this blog for two weeks)
The steps are designed to educate myself on the field, and existing locations/people. To talk to as many in each field as I can making sure to question people using the qualities from my goal sheet that I’d listed as most important to me. And then to seek out ways to experience these fields if possible, by volunteering, working hands on, taking classes and doing more research.
I cannot fathom when I’ll find the time.
I also know that’s just an excuse.
My major learning point today, the thing that struck me most, was the observation (not sure by which of us) that I like short projects so that I can lose interest guilt free. hmmm…I wonder if that will be perceived as whiny and lazy, or an endearing personal quirk. Also I realized that I’m very confident of what I know I shouldn’t do and am not good at…basically what activities and fields don’t suit my interest, abilities or talents, or would simply make me unhappy. I haven’t found what I’d LOVE to do, but I know myself well enough to know what I should NOT do.
(Tomorrow you’ll see what happened immediately after I re-read this post a second time while editing.)
