When did you find what you love to do?

I was once a college dropout doing door-to-door sales. The company was based out of this space in the strip mall pictured here.

Believe it or not, this is when I fell in love with the work and where my career started.

I had no idea where I was going or how I was going to get there.

This was before I knew anything about talent development, masters programs in organizational behavioural psychology or what it meant to be an executive coach.?

I knew that being in service and contributing to others was a path I was called to walk.

The training includes learning 5 Steps for a Pitch and 8 Working Habits, here’s the list in case you’re curious:

1. Have a great attitude?

2. Work your territory correctly?

3. Be on time?

4. Maintain your attitude?

5. Be prepared?

6. Know why you’re there and what you’re doing?

7. Work full eight hours?

8. Take control

When did you find what you love to do?

I love coaching, speaking, and guiding people to grow.? When it comes to coaching, lucky for me, it’s something I can’t not do.?

I am endlessly curious about what could be possible for people when they are asked the right questions, feel seen, heard, and appreciated… when they look in the mirror and see the person they want to be and not the person they think they were.?

You can look back and you may have shame around past experience, but it’s where the growth can be the most profound.

Which is what brings me back to that job doing door-to-door sales.

I grew in the role and was given responsibility for my own team. It was my first time building and inspiring a sales team, helping them believe in themselves and deal with rejection.

One of my team members had aspirations to be a writer. I had an honest conversation with them about the next steps toward being a writer.?

A week later they handed in their resignation and I couldn’t be happier. They built their confidence in the role and that allowed them to dream big and take action.?

This was a “Good Will Hunting” sort of moment for me.

This organization was like the island of misfit toys, with people that had lost their way and somewhere along the line found this business we were in.

I found great joy in helping these talented people build their confidence and learn to overcome their fear of rejection to open up greater possibilities for themselves.

This work allowed me to learn good business ethics and best practices including how to listen, have difficult conversations with empathy, have a positive mindset, develop grit and perseverance and so on.

Roles like this have shaped the way for my vision. It’s from being in situations like this that I first discovered my drive as a coach, facilitator and speaker, where I could hold up a mirror to help others see their greatness.?

I am just as resolved now as I was then to help others stop hiding behind fear and get out there and pursue their dreams. And I’m grateful for the opportunities I now have to travel and speak with teams, leaders and audiences and do this work on a much larger scale.

Questions for reflection:

• What was a job or role you had in the past that set you on the course of what would eventually become your career?

• What lessons, experiences, mentors or teachers did you have that taught you the most? What did you learn from these people and experiences?

• How have the lessons and experiences shaped the person you are today?

• What from these experiences is forgotten that would be most helpful for you now?

• What dreams and aspirations did you have at that time? What have you achieved since that can be celebrated?

• When did you find what you love to do?

#leadership #selfcompassion #changingwork