I’m back with more career lessons from DIY projects! This week, I’m exploring how DIY projects helped me address my impatience with my career.
Last week we delved into how working on home improvement projects helped me let go of perfectionism and embrace the concept of “good enough. Remember a few weeks ago when I talked about how I’d been storing closet doors in my garage for 4 years because I hadn’t had time to paint them?!
When you do home projects yourself, they take 3x (or, okay maybe 10x longer) than a contractor. It’s really hard to give yourself grace and remember that you have never grouted a tile floor and it might take a minute to figure it out.
I see this all the time in Discovery Calls with clients: “I just want to be in a new job and succeeding already,” as they describe the toxic workplace they are in.
Yes, I want you to be out of there as fast as possible! But, I’m also here to help you get THE job, not just any ‘ol job. We are here to be picky…and that takes time and patience.
Or, if you’re making a hard pivot into a new industry, career track, or region, it will take longer to find the right job where you can learn and grow.
Or, you are in one of those super s l o w interview processes where you want to scream, “Hurry up already!”
It’s really hard to be patient when you know what your next phase of life looks like and you want it start now.
Alas, much of the job search process is out of our control. What we can control is our strategic direction, our storytelling, and our value we bring to the table.
How you keep impatience at bay while remaining picky and focused in your job search?
You can use that time to skill build (maybe getting good at ChatGPT prompts before you start a new job) or pick up some temporary work to keep funds flowing while you search (bc money is real!) or you take time to rest and heal from past workplace trauma and burnout so you don’t carry that into your new job like a suitcase with one bum wheel that you have to drag through the airport.
My friends are probably sick of hearing me say, “When we finish the house,” and they are right: it’s not an end destination: we will keep refining it forever.
There is no end destination to your career either. The real question is: are you in the right job right now to meet your financial goals, encourage your growth, and fuel your purpose?
Through Dream Job Coaching, we delve into these questions, and now, you receive a customized Career Clarity Roadmap that highlight your unique strengths, what you are truly looking for in your next job, what keywords to search for in job descriptions, and key phrases to use in your resume and LinkedIn to express your unique brilliance. If you feel lost in your career path, this roadmap is exactly what you need to get your compass pointing in the right direction
I wish I had a roadmap for a 5-year home renovation, but we figured it out: one weird skill at a time. I never knew I could be so good at grouting windows, but here we are.
So, I’ve accepted that this final stage of renovation is moving slower than we expected, because we are doing it ourselves. This is my first time replacing door hinges, so it’s going to take a couple tries to get it right. I may or may not have hung the first set upside down. Career lessons and DIY lesson are both hard!
As I enter this new phase of my career after being laid off and building this business, I’m giving myself grace to hang the hinges upside down first and then right them. Oh, and I have a coach helping me too!
