Navigating personal and professional growth can often feel like mastering a high-stakes surf session. How can you adapt, thrive, and turn challenges into opportunities? Drawing on the wisdom of the experts featured in our ‘Get to Know‘ section, we’ll uncover actionable insights to help you master change, embrace authenticity, and align your passions with your career! Here’s how to harness their wisdom and ride the waves of change with confidence and clarity…
Claus Raasted co-founder of The College of Extraordinary Experiences, offers a powerful analogy for growth:
“As an individual, who wants to become a leader? Learn how to get stuff done.
As a leader? Learn how to not stand in the way of others, who want to get stuff done.
As a human? Be ready to re-think and re-imagine and re-invent… your identity, your skillset, and your world.
When the waves keep growing, it’s smart to learn how to surf. And if you’re surfing 15 foot waves today that looked impossible to you five years ago, and the 5 foot waves you surfed then seemed impossible to you when you started… What’s to say that the 50 foot wave that now looks impossible will continue to look that way if you just give it a try?”
As you face new and seemingly impossible challenges, remember that persistence and flexibility can turn those daunting waves into your new normal.
Teodora Paucean, an Associate Certified Coach ICF, highlights the importance of self-awareness and embracing discomfort:
“You don’t have to have it all figured out just yet. Invest in your self-awareness and healing work. It pays the most dividends long term. Learn to be comfortable with discomfort and lack of clarity, as they are part of the process of letting go of coping mechanisms, fake selves and lies you have told yourself for a long time.”
Todd Cherches, CEO and Leadership & Executive Coach, shares his take on integrating passion with work:
“There’s that saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Well, that’s not exactly true, as I love what I do AND I work pretty hard at it. But as I do love what I do, and as I have an insatiable passion for reading, thinking, and learning – and as (unfortunately) my brain seems to have no “off switch” – my personal passions and interests and my work are very much intertwined.
So, learning and teaching bring me joy and inspiration, and I am always very aware that lessons in visual leadership are always hiding in plain sight, waiting to be discovered. That is just the lens through which I see the world… whether I am at work or at play, and I try to instil this appreciation in others.”
Dan Underwood, Career & Business Coach, offers a methodical approach to career planning:
“I would advise them to invest in a period of self reflection, away from external influences and distractions. Then suggest focusing on creating an ‘honest’ list of talents, passions and experiences that they have as a professional without comparing or looking at anyone else.
On a separate page create 4 parts and label them: WHAT, WHO, HOW and WHY.
Then begin to write down the business idea/career change in those areas without overthinking or self judgement.
Afterwards, put them aside and go for some personal time without sharing anything with people. Then after a few days go to a coffee shop and review what you have written. This is when you can objectively view yourself and the business idea/career change from a healthy perspective.
With a different coloured pen conduct a quick SWOT analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat). Highlighting the key areas and writing down any solutions/ideas that come to mind or people who you can talk to for finding out the solutions.
The final step would be something I call the ‘Gut Check’. This is when you lay out the pages in front of you and review it all as a whole. Then go into a period of silence and listen to what your ‘Gut Feeling’ is. If the feeling is a positive one, then take a deep breath and begin the next stage of looking at what actions you would need to consider and to act on.
If the feeling is a negative one, then listen to where it is coming from. Your head, heart or gut? If it is your head, then you probably don’t have enough answers yet.
If it is your heart, then it could be self doubt.
If it is your gut, then maybe you don’t know enough or you’re unsure where you should go next!
At this point you can begin to share what you have done with trusted people to see if they have any answers and get some positive encouragement on what direction you may need to take (or not take).”
Mastering personal and professional growth involves more than just acquiring technical skills – it’s about embracing change, practising authenticity, and aligning your passions with your work. By integrating these expert insights, you can navigate the waves of change with confidence and purpose. Remember, each challenge you face is an opportunity to refine your skills and evolve into a stronger version of yourself!
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