Understand Your Spark with Robin Carberry

I’ve got a question for you… do you know what sparks you? Like what really, really brings you joy and lights you up?

Well, if you have reached mid-life and you’re finding yourself feeling burnt out, confused, and unsure of your next step… I’ve got something special here for you!

I love having the platform and ability to bring inspiring, female leaders to you. Recently, I spent some time in conversation with my friend Robin Carberry, a coach for Gen X women who need help untangling the knot of mid-life confusion, uncovering what they’re here to do, and unleashing more flow, connection, meaning, and joy in their lives!

I’m so excited to share Robin with you today!

Here are the highlights from my recent conversation with Robin Carberry:

Tell us about your business and what you are working on now.

Robin: What I do is I coach Gen X women. I help them untangle the knot of mid-life confusion, uncover what they're here to do, and unleash more flow connection, meaning, and joy in their lives.?

I've had so many women come to me and say, “I want you to help me figure out what I should do when I grow up.” Now, these are accomplished, smart, experienced, women who either own their own businesses or have worked their way up the corporate ladder. They are respected. They are seen as advisors and leaders. But they still feel like they don't have it all figured out.?

And that's because there's this belief that we have, that being grown up means that you have all the answers and you know exactly what the next step is. But many don't feel that way and wonder what's wrong with them because they don't really know what they should be doing next.?

That's exactly why the Spark archetypes were created. The Sparketype is a tool that I use in my work with women to help them figure out their next step. It was created to help you understand the type of work that really lights you up and really inspires you, as opposed to work that maybe you have developed a lot of expertise around and you're okay with doing. You should be doing something that lights you up instead of something that just drains the life out of you.

Can you share with us your top productivity tips for Gen X women?

Robin:? Two things that will set you up for success are sleep and meditation.?

Sleep is so important, especially for the moms out there, anybody who's raised young children, and has gone through that total sleep deprivation phase, where sleep is a luxury and it is not something that you can prioritize. As Gen Xers, we are moving out of that stage of life, and we can now prioritize our rest. If you are not adequately rested, you are not going to be at your best, you're not going to be effective, you're not going to be able to make clear-headed decisions, and you're not going to be able to assess what your priorities are, you're not going to be able to take care of other people like your parents, you're not going to be happy and joyful and able to make time for play, and you're not going to have the energy that you need.?

Most people need at least eight hours of sleep each night. There was this culture in the 80s and 90s where we were proud to get only four hours of sleep a night. Only 2% of the population falls into the category of those who need less than eight hours of sleep each night. Prioritize your sleep.?

The second productivity tip is meditation. There are all different ways that you can meditate. It's really about creating intentional space in your day. It can be as little as five minutes, where you sit in a quiet space, a safe space, get comfortable with yourself, and be present in the moment. You can use an app, you can repeat a mantra to yourself, you can just sit quietly, and you don't have to worry about not thinking. Let's not overcomplicate this.?

If you're not currently meditating each day, simply start by taking a few minutes to sit and be present in the moment that you are in without thinking about yesterday or tomorrow.

What is the biggest mistake you ever made and what did you learn from it?

Robin: The biggest mistake I’ve made as an adult has been not listening to my gut and not trusting myself and my reactions to things. I haven't always paid attention to how I feel physically about things. And the way this translates into business and career is that it can prevent you from ending relationships that aren't the right fit for you.?

Whether that's an employee that just isn't working out or a client that you're working with who isn’t the right fit. You’ve got to listen to those internal reactions, those internal sensations, and not just disregard them.

We're so programmed to fix things and to think, “Oh, it must be me. I just need to fix what I'm doing to make this better.” No. Actually, your body and your gut were telling you in the very beginning that this isn't the best thing.?

So listen to that. Trust that. Go with that. My biggest mistakes came from not doing that for myself.

If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?

Robin: I saw an interview not all that long ago with the golfer, Raymond Floyd. He won the Masters in 1976. In the interview, he was talking about why he was able to be so successful as a professional golfer. He was asked what worked for him.?

And he said, “Well, what was different for me, compared to some of the other guys I was golfing with is that I wasn't afraid to lose.” Because he wasn’t afraid to lose, he never got into a situation where he was under pressure and then choked.

He looked at things differently. He was able to see opportunities that other people couldn’t see because they were so worried about losing.?

I couldn’t agree more and he said it way better than I ever could!?

Not being afraid to lose allows you to take the blinders off and then you can see opportunities that you didn't see before. When you're moving forward, even mistakes can open doors for you. You’re just collecting information and data. If you screw up, ask yourself what you can take away from that. What did you learn from that???

So I would go back to my younger self and say, “Look, you're going to screw up just by being human. Take the step, just do the thing.”?

There are a lot of times when fear would hold me back from doing something. And when I stepped through that, took action, and wasn't afraid to lose, I always got something out of it. I just didn't always know exactly what it was I was going to gain in the moment.

What’s the deal with the Sparketypes? What makes this different from all the other assessments?

Robin: I'm obsessed with Sparkerchetypes!

I've been working with women in this way for years, but I discovered the Sparketypes, probably about a year ago. When I first took the assessment, I was like, “Oh my gosh, this gave me so much insight into myself and about myself and how I ended up where I ended up.”?

So many people when they get to this age, they're burnt out and they're confused. They’re successful, they’ve got a great career, and they’re seen as a leader and someone others rely on for expertise. But, they’re thinking, “What's next for me? What's the next step?”?

They’re looking for meaning and purpose. They’re seeing the rest of their life laid out in a way that you don't see in your 20s or 30s.?

We start asking ourselves questions like…

• How can I make a difference??
• How can I make my life feel meaningful and purposeful??

This is exactly why the Sparketype assessment was created. It's so you can uncover the work that does bring you energy and puts you in the zone. The work that when you're doing it, time flies by and you don't even realize it. It's work that you would do without getting paid.?

There are ten different core motivators or core Sparketypes. Most people fall into one of these categories. They're things like the Sage, the Advisor, the Maker, the Scientists, the Essentialist, the Nurturer, the Advocate, and the Warrior.?

The assessment helps explain so many things about decisions that you've made in your life that have worked or not worked out, the type of work that really gives you energy, and the type of work that you're good at but doesn't really light you up. Your results can allow you to look at opportunities differently, to look at directions that you can move in differently, and to actually look at jobs themselves. Forget about what the title of the job is, even forget about what the industry is, it allows you to look at those opportunities in a different way. Now, you’ll look at the type of work that you are going to love doing, the type of work where you can make a difference, and the skills that you can bring to that.??

The Sparketype allows you to look at your future in a way that feels aligned and that you can be excited about.

If you want to find out what truly sparks you, take the Sparktype Assessment. Learn more about the 10 Core Motivators That Help You Unlock Your Potential. For more from Robin, check her out on Instagram and Facebook.?