Last week a magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook portions of the Southern California landscape and for seconds, millions of individuals were paralyzed by fear. Although a native of California having braved through many in my lifetime, I too, for seconds, was paralyzed by fear. As the shaking continued, my mind raced through thoughts and images of my loved ones. In particular, I thought of my eight year old niece and how frightened she might be experiencing an earthquake for the first time. I'll tell you more about her later. After hearing that my family and friends were shaken, but fine, I thought about the power of fear and its impact on our ability to move forward in life with careers, aspirations and dreams.
Fear is powerful, deceitful and paralyzing and robs individuals of their full potential everyday. Fear will hold you hostage to a dead-end position. Fear will hold you hostage to a job that prohibits you from following your passion. Fear will shackle you to a desk in a company that does not compensate you for your true value. Fear will marry you to a position year after year, simply because it "feels" safe and comfortable. Fear will squash your dream of an entrepreneurial venture. Fear can creep in the shadows of your mind and spirit, holding you back from repositioning or reinventing your career.
I worked with a client that had over a decade of experience in the field of medical billing. In her role at the time, there were no further advancement opportunities, she had neither a college degree nor a state certification for her field. Her employer had convinced her over the years that if she left, she would not be able to secure viable employment in the field and urged her to stay. This was a remarkable client! She was resilient, hardworking, mindful and sharp, yet understandably fearful of leaving. She had years of experience across multiple functional areas, had created value by implementing processes that fundamentally drove business for her employer and was literally a resident expert. I worked with her to create a personal brand and then repositioned her for opportunities in which she could leverage her talent and experience as an expert in the medical billing industry. She was amazed by the fact that, yes, without degrees or certifications, her years of experience and accomplishments had not only positioned her as an expert in her field, but yielded opportunities for teaching medical billing at for profit colleges as well as executive recruiting opportunities with agencies specializing in medical billing placement. This process was both transformational and empowering for the client!
By the way, my niece rode out the earthquake like a champ. Unlike her aunt, she was not paralyzed by fear and from all reports smiled through the shaking and was excited about having lived through her first earthquake. We should all embrace the fearless spirit of the child within us as it relates to repositioning or reinventing our careers. Is fear holding you back from repositioning or reinventing your career? TLT Consulting Services specializes in personal branding and career reinvention. Don't be afraid...Let us show you the power of your personal brand!
Until next week...
