Listening To Your Intuition

Let me tell you about Jane.

As with all my stories, I’ve changed the name and type of work identified.

 Jane hired a career coach partly because she lost her job as a digital marketing manager with a big company, due to corporate re-structuring.  Jane was not too upset when she got the news, because she had a secret desire.  A goal she’d been working towards, quietly on the side, for quite some time.  She saw this termination as a chance to really jump, feet first, into her new plan.  And most of the coaching we did together was focused on building this new plan.

 What was her new career plan?  She had just completed her training as a travel agent and she wanted to work and travel her way through several countries and see the world.  She was pumped and excited and ready to launch.  All the signs pointed her in this direction.

 But then she saw a marketing job posting in her home town, for a new position with a good company, that she was totally qualified for.  Her intuition said no, but she talked herself into being practical and realistic.  So she applied, got an interview and was offered the position (trust me, this does NOT happen to everyone, everytime!).   She rationalized that if she could do this job for a couple of years, she’d be in better financial shape.  So she said yes.  As her coach, I helped her wade through the pros and cons, but ultimately it was 100% her choice.

 But within a few days on the job, it hit her like a ton of bricks.  She was in the wrong place. She felt miserable as she realized she had sold out on her dream.  She had ignored her intuition.

 What did Jane do? 

She got brave and resigned.

Sure she burned a bridge with that new company. 

 But what did she gain?

Self confidence, confirmation from within that she was on her right path,   and a clear reminder to next time, listen to her intuition.