Why do you do what you do?

If you can't tell what the entrepreneur Steven Bartlett calls your origin story, it's important to spend some time thinking about it.

Your origin story is your why. It's the reason which lies underneath why you are compelled to do what you do.?

It's at the heart of every success story, whether you are employed or working as an entrepreneur. Your origin story is usually connected with an experience you have seen or gone through yourself that acts as a call to action.

If you aren't clear about your origin story (or your reason for what you do), here's mine to stimulate your thinking.?

Childhood clues

As a child, I had always been able to spot people who needed help long before others did, and I was always drawn to helping.

One of my subjects at A Level was French, which covered both the language and significant works of literature. One of the books I had to study was by Balzac, the French Dickens (La Rabouilleuse, translated as The Black Sheep). In reading it, I came across the concept of nature versus nurture, which absolutely hooked me. I was captivated by the idea of two brothers sharing the same upbringing but ending up with two totally different life outcomes. One went on to be a world-famous artist, while the other became a rogue and mercenary for hire.

I spent time trying to figure out how I could learn more about this, and I came across the relatively new subjects of psychology and sociology in university prospectuses. However, I didn't have the knowledge or access to the right support to get any further with them. The internet didn't exist at this point, and professional careers support wasn't really a thing in my school back then.

Family influences

So, as a keen but ill-informed 17-year-old and only child, I relied on my father's well-meant but badly judged advice to do a "proper degree" instead and went on as a first-gen student to study languages at University instead. ?

What next?

Inevitably, family influences led to a successful business career in sales and marketing management in a mix of corporate and small business settings.

There was only one problem. As you may have already experienced, success doesn't always equate to happiness.

Heading for burnout

By age 37, my work had lost almost all meaning and was eroding my soul. I found myself in a deep existential career crisis, feeling totally lost, miserable, depressed and pretty burned out.

When you hit a metaphorical rock bottom, the only way is up. The only problem is how.

They say the teacher appears when the student is ready, and that's what happened to me.

Finding out why

I remember the day vividly.?

I was sitting in the second of a series of workshops listening to Simon, a personal development expert trainer we had brought in to help us grow the publishing business my husband and I were running.

Simon began to explain the importance of values in our actions as internal drivers toward or away from what we want.

I learned that one of the most important elements is being clear about what matters to you.?No one had taught me that before.

Clarity as to the cause of my unhappiness came through completing a values exercise, which helped me realize that helping others develop felt far more rewarding than publishing a sales and marketing tech magazine, even if it generated million-pound leads.

It was like a giant lightbulb had gone off in my head.

Understanding what needed to change

I suddenly realized why my life looked great on the outside but felt totally hollow on the inside. I had dutifully learned to live my life based on my parents' values. The only problem was that, deep down, they weren't mine. I also wasn't using my desire to help others in a way that was truly meaningful to me.

It was hardly surprising, therefore, that I had spent 17 years working diligently with my career ladder against the wrong wall and fighting against who I truly am. No wonder I ended up with an auto-immune condition.

Feeling a meaningful way forward

Because I couldn't find anyone who could help me truly figure out what I wanted, I started to listen to and trust my inner voice and follow my instincts. This led me to qualify as a life coach initially and, eventually, to retrain as a careers specialist.

Finally, I found a profession that changes lives, not the bottom line.

Working at values level has remained at the heart of my work ever since I changed direction. Never once has it failed to provide the key to a better future for the thousands of early-stage and established professionals I have worked with over the last twenty-plus years.

Sometimes, it helps to confirm that someone is in the right place doing the right kind of work. More often than not, it shines a light on the way forward as we work together.

A gift for you from the Easter Bunny

I know what it feels like to feel lost and unfulfilled, and I know what it feels like to love the work you do.

With Spring in the air and a break around the corner, if you are unhappy or unfulfilled by what you do, you might like to spend some time reflecting on your work and life values. Doing so will help you to change your story for the better.

You can download your own copy of my values exercise here as an Easter gift. Unlike chocolate, it won't give you an instant high but will almost certainly give you a healthier and happier career in the long term.

Once you have done some reflection, if you want to talk to someone who can help you understand and develop your origin story so you can get a better opportunity and stand out in the application process, you know where I am.

Have a great Easter break.

Best wishes

Carolyn

PS As George Eliot said, "It's never too late to be who you might have been." As someone who has changed career direction myself, I know that to be true.

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