WHY WORK NO LONGER WORKED FOR ME
Parenting changes us in ways that we can never imagine.
When my little one was first born, I was learning how to be a mum, and learning how to communicate and understand him. I had no interest in life beyond him, and my brain just seemed wired differently.
Something changed in me, and I didn’t have the confidence to return to my old way of working, and fundamentally work no longer worked for me.
My son was born after a traumatic birth, and I could no longer do the job that I loved.. I had to find something else that fitted around my son… and my incontinence.
When you’re on maternity leave, we really truly begin to grapple with the fact that our working hours, and ways of working no longer works for our tiny human. I dithered and dabbled, but realised that working long hours as a TV reporter in bonkers countries was not going to cut it with the little one. I had to find a new way of working.
EVEN THOUGH YOU THINK YOU CAN’T DO IT
My brain was now reclassified as lentil baby mush, and I didn’t have the confidence to put myself out there. I felt like I couldn’t remember anything, and I could only talk about baby stuff, and my capacity for interesting conversation had diminished. I’d had a pretty traumatic birth, and then was suffering with post-baby incontinence issues. I definitely didn’t have the courage or the confidence to think, “hmmm, I think I’ll start a business”.
Building a business starts with a nugget of an idea. A wish for something more, and to more, but not being sure where to start. Slowly I found my feet, and began talking to people, and began formulating ideas. I still bumble and blag, and often feel like I have no idea what I’m doing.
Being open to learning is key to building your business. When I did my coaching training back in 2012/3, I remember asking my lecturers (this was at Chester University) if I should built a website… and I was told that you could just rely on your “circle of contacts” and you didn’t really need much of a website. Today my entire coaching business is built online.
When I started my business after maternity leave, I realised there was a LOT of stuff that I needed to learn in order to help my business grow. I hired a success coach, and I learned from her. She helped me to formulate my ideas, and know what I really wanted, so I could go for it. Creating something new takes time, and it takes courage. It means learning new skills, and being open to new ideas. As I’ve built my business, it means being prepared to do things that I would never have dreamt of doing a year ago – talking on camera for Facebook lives, selling myself, and public speaking.
If you feel trapped in the 9-5, but don’t know where to start, then begin talking to people. Go to events for people in your industry. Hire people to help you. Hiring a coach can help you to work out what you want, and get you where you want to be, and faster. It gives you the accountability, and helps you focus.
ASK YOURSELF:
Where are you now in your life? Where do you want to be?
How will you get there?
What is working well in your life right now?
If you could see yourself in 5 years time, what would you be doing in your dream world?
Imagine you wake up tomorrow and a miracle has occurred… describe your day, what would you be doing?
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