My Story
Looking back at my work history, I realised that all my moments of change – big or small – were triggered by a sense of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
That’s not to say I was totally disengaged and down in the dumps about work – I have a strong work ethic and quite a natural ability to compartmentalise. It was more a sense of discomfort that stayed on my mind and niggled at me to do something about it.
It wasn’t that I woke up one morning and thought ‘I don’t want to be doing this anymore’ it was more that I woke up one morning, and the next, and the one after that, thinking: ‘I want to do something about this, and I need to work out how.’
My solution focused nature always saw these glitches in my work life as a challenge to be accepted and overcome, always in pursuit of work happiness and excitement. When I am happy at work it brings out the best in me in all other aspects of my life, and also impacts how productive and successful I am with work. The opposite is also true for me when I am not happy at work…
So every time I have had that feeling, I have made a change.
When I felt like I was working too hard too young (what I now recognise as burnout) >> I quit my job and travelled for 6 months solo.
When I felt undervalued and underutilised >> I worked with senior leadership to diversify my role and play to my strengths.
When I experienced self-doubt that was affecting my career >> I asked my manager to support me to do a qualification on the side of my day job to close the gap and get back on track.
The moment I felt like my experience was becoming too niche, hurting my career prospects >> I changed industries and expanded my role.
When I felt uninspired and stuck in a work rut >> I started a side hustle to keep me motivated.
When I realised my values and behaviours were not reflected by my company >> I changed company.
When I realised I enjoyed my side hustle more than my job >> I changed career entirely, leaving the corporate world after 15 years to start my own business.
I have moved from agency to client side, from global corporate to scaleup, from employed to self-employed, from working with many to solo working, from a senior marketing leader to a new business owner. (You can read more about my experience and qualifications here).
Some of these changes were easier than others. Some were challenging to work out and work through, some were a huge driver for my own personal development. All of them were significant in their own way, and have played a role in how I got to where I am today.
And I have a feeling my change story is not going to end there.
I believe, and have experienced, that at every moment of work unhappiness and dissatisfaction, there is opportunity should you wish to acknowledge it.
And acknowledge it you should! It’s worth it.
This is a good place to start – find out more about working with me here.