21 Career Lessons Learned Since Launching CultiVitae

Somebody pinch me. I can’t believe two years has passed since I sealed and kissed an envelope with my resignation letter to go on this crazy pursuit of becoming a career coach.

Two friggin years! I am so grateful for the hundreds of clients and thousands of subscribers who have trusted me with their career direction. I appreciate all of you who have ever visited my corner of the webiverse, or liked, commented, followed and shared any of my posts. Thank you all for your massive support and all of the kind words and referrals. I wouldn’t be able to continue doing what I love if it weren’t for you.

Seriously, THANK YOU!

Sharing a few lessons learned

As I reflect on these past two years, I wanted to share some of the most important lessons I’ve learned along the way. Whether you’re a corporate professional or an entrepreneur, my hope is that these lessons will resonate with you, too!

• Always have a cheerleader in your life. Some days, my career and personal life can be a crazy rollercoaster… I realize how lucky I am to have someone championing me in my most weakest and most doubtful moments.
• It’s okay to be weak and doubtful. After all, I’m human.
• Career happiness is not about how much money I make. It’s about the positive impact and difference. It’s the mark I want to leave in this world.
• Even though I am an individual, I have a brand – as should any individual. What colors represent you? What does your logo look like? What is your personal brand statement?
• A career is a marathon, not a sprint. I used to set crazy expectations for myself that led me to feel so behind and stressed out. I basically turned my lofty one year goal into a three year goal.
• Enjoy the journey. Which has led me to enjoy the journey more each and every day. So grateful the simple things in life like a warm pastry and a hot cup of coffee in the morning.
• Everything you want to learn and all of the mentors you want are found in books. I’ve read over 20 books so far this year. Everything we could possibly want to know is out there waiting to be digested.
• Read more fiction. Business books are great but fiction is a pleasant escape that can transport you mentally and emotionally. I can’t believe I just now got around to reading The Alchemist.
• Confidence is built by going into action. From joining Toastmasters to starting a bookclub to filming a web series… this year I stepped out of my comfort zone big time. I realized I was never going to get comfortable with projecting myself unless I just did it. So I signed up, knowing that I hate flaking on people and breaking commitments. You know what? I survived each time.
• Say no to the things that you really don’t give a sh*t about. Yes, this comes from the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. We do have a set amount of hours in a day – it’s important to say no to leave room for the things that matter.

Done is better than none.

• ‘I don’t have time’ is an excuse. We all have the same amount of hours in a day, how we decide to use our time is completely up to us. We can always make time for the things that we truly desire.
• Perfectionism is synonymous with procrastination. In most cases, done is better than none. It’s okay to strive for the best quality of anything but if it’s delaying you to get something done weeks, months, or years… it’s usually a sign you’re procrastinating.
• Stop ruminating. Give yourself a deadline to make a decision and just do it. Trust that your first decision is the best decision.
• When the fear of the unknown pops up, stop asking what’s the worst thing that could happen. Instead, ask what’s the best. Chris and I recently had to make a decision between renewing our lease or finding a new apartment. We knew if we renewed it would be safe and comfortable, but we opted to try out a new building because what if it could be better? And if it’s worse, oh well, at least we have each other and will experience some interesting things. Be prepared to see a new background soon in my videos!
• TV is a time suck. When it comes to mindset, it's often difficult to say no to the easy things. Would you rather watch a drama or pick up a book? Would you rather go for the pizza or the eggplant? I've found myself binging on TV because it's easy. But when I reflect back on the hours I've binged, I now started to use TV as a mini reward for accomplishing all of my tasks at the end of the day. Everything in moderation. ;)
• Make sure you celebrate. Take the time to celebrate your wins no matter how big or small!
• Take care of yourself first. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.
• Invest in yourself. This year I invested in myself big time. I actually need to update this article because I hired myself a business coach. I feel I have a roadmap of what needs to get done and it’s nice to have someone hold me accountable to all of the things I say I’m actually going to do.
• Do one thing each month that scares you. Each month, I sit and plan out my month ahead – what are the big picture goals I want to achieve? I try to always include at least one thing that makes me a little bit nervous or hesitant… if I want to puke it’s a good sign. 
• Schedule in personal fun. This is perhaps the biggest change I have had. From scheduling in things like yoga, journaling, rock climbing, trips, movie date night, etc., I’m able to enjoy the things I work so hard for and spend time with the people I care most about… instead of sit behind a monitor all day forgetting what day of the week it is!
• Build a morning routine. I used to be very much a wake-up-splash-face-brush-teeth-put-on-clothes-and-dash-out-the-door girl. But these days, I am enjoying slow mornings and carving out time to meditate and scribble in my journal.
• Our thoughts drive everything. I’ve been challenging my own thinking a lot these days. I’ve been working on judging less and looking at things as perfectly imperfect. It’s important to check in and evaluate the accuracy of our thoughts.

What’s Next on This Journey?

I would say these past two years have been really all about exploring this career path and making sure this is what I want to do long-term. [Note: I have a tendency to get bored quicky.]

But! I am confident that this is what I was born to do. I even turned down some pretty amazing opportunities with amazing companies in Los Angeles because I’m so passionate about taking CultiVitae to the next level.

My mission statement is:

CultiVitae is dedicated to coaching ambitious corporate professionals to design and achieve a career they can wake up happy to on Mondays. 

I’ve gotten pretty clear on my vision which is to help ambitious corporate professionals create their own visions and put in the actions and strategies to turn their dreams into realities. I especially love helping women gain clarity, boost their confidence, and communicate their needs.

I want to continue my 1:1 coaching work to help careerists find their voice and push past the fears that hold them back from living their most daring lives.

For my third year, I’m making my theme word collaboration and am trying to create as many joint ventures as possible to share the best resources with my audience. I have a few cool collabs in the works – more on that soon!

I am also moving my office from my home to a coworking space as I dream of human interaction!  I’ve also been really enamored with interior design as of late so I’m hoping to make my new home office feel more uplifted and inspired for the days I am working at home.

Whether it’s the physical space or the intangible spaces, I believe we can always design and achieve how we want to live our lives. We all have creativity and resourcefulness that is ready to be tapped. If you’re feeling like it’s not possible, please schedule a free 45-minute call with me here. I’d love to learn more about your situations and your roadblocks to see if we can get you on the more empowered path!

Thank you for joining me on this crazy journey and cheers to another year! 

This article was originally published on CultiVitae found here.

Emily Liou coaches heart-centered professionals to land their dream calling (not a job or a career!). We spend 40+ hours a week at work, let's find something that fulfills our purpose on this planet. Stop counting down to Fridays and start looking forward to Mondays! When I'm not geeking out on personal and professional development hacks, you can find me exploring Los Angeles with coffee in hand.