The Purposeful Career Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep 095: How to Not Get Stuck on Why Something Happened Oct 02, 2022

Show notes

We all have things that happen in our career or lives that are unwanted.
They're either unfair. Or unjust. Or in some way, they're just not welcome.
And when that happens, we have two choices.
We can either get stuck in why, ruminating on the unfairness or all the ways it doesn't make sense.
Or, we can simply move on and focus on the things we want to do next.
Getting stuck in why can seem important.
We can tell ourselves we have to understand it before we can move on.
But here's what I want you to know.
Why it happened doesn't matter.
It happened.
The only thing that matters now is what you want to do about it.
What you want to do NOW or NEXT.
THAT is your point of power.
So in this episode, I share a case study from what one of my clients is experiencing right now in corporate America, how she's gotten a bit stuck and what I'm coaching her to do now so she can move forward with purpose into her next act.
This is something I believe we all struggle with on occasion in work and life. And if that's you right now I want you to know that I empathize. I feel for you.
And if you're someone who has a curious mind and finds themselves stuck in overthinking on why it happened or why if happened to you or why they did that or whatever...I encourage you to just stop.
Follow the advice in this podcast and ask yourself the two most empowering words available to you.
Now what?
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 094: How to Avoid Emotional Triggers At Work (Or in Life) Sep 25, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever been triggered?
Most of us have and it's not pleasant.
When we're triggered emotionally, we tend to respond in ways that don't serve us. Plus, it just feels like crap.
In today's episode, I share some insight on why we get triggered, how the triggers develop and why it's the default way our brain tends to run.
And more importantly, I talk about what you can do about it.
How you can get in touch with all the ways that you're triggered.
How to go into those potentially triggering situations feeling prepared.
So you stay strong and in command of your thought life, your emotional state and in how you're responding to whatever is going on.
This is an important part of what it means to show up as your best regardless of your circumstances.
And it not only helps you deal with potentially difficult situations in the best possible way - a way that serves you, it also helps you feel better. More in control. More at your best.
So give the episode a listen and say goodbye to the things that trigger you.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 093: What To Do When You're Bored Sep 18, 2022

Show notes

In today's episode, we're talking about boredom.
This is important because learning how to shift out of boredom is a bit part of being able to have the fulfilling career and life we all want.
Most of us think that when we're bored, it's caused by what's going on around us. By things outside us.
But it's not.
Boredom is an emotion we feel because of what we're thinking about what's going on (or not) around us.
Getting clear on that is important. Because we never want to try top solve the boredom by taking some sort of action, like changing jobs or partners or our circumstances.
We want to first change how we're thinking about our job or partner or circumstances (or whatever else is going on that you think is causing your boredom).
We feel bored because of what we're thinking.
And this is something we can change. It's 100% in our power.
We have the ability to identify things about our circumstances that we can connect to or engage in or be interested in, thereby shifting us our of boredom and into either a more neutral or even positive emotion.
And then from there we can take more productive actions that will bring us to a different place in our career or life or relationship or whatever.
We never want to take action when we're feeling a negative emotion. Because that action (or inaction) is probably not going to serve us or take us somewhere we want to go.
In this episode, we'll talk about the five types of boredom, what causes them and what you can do to shift out of that.
This is a great episode full of insight and practical advice that you might want to come back to again and again.
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 092: Three Things to Do When You're Unhappy at Work Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

We all have times when we feel unhappy with our work.
Whether it's about feeling bored or discontent with our career path or unhappy with the boss or culture, the truth is, our career (and life) is made up of peaks and valleys.
The key is finding your way through it in a way that serves you.
But most of us try to solve our unhappiness problem by looking outside of us. By focusing on changing the situation.
I know I certainly did that for most of my career.
I truly believed that there was this magical right place out there and if I could just find the perfect combination of industry, geographical location, company size, etc., I would find the key to career bliss.
But the truth is, it's never the things outside us that are making us unhappy.
It's always what we're thinking about those things outside us that's the source of the issue.
What we're choosing to focus on.
The filter we're using to determine how we feel about the content of our job or our day.
And that's 100% within our ability to control.
In this episode, I give you three things you can do - starting today - to shift out of unhappiness, boredom or whatever negative emotion you're feeling. And how to intentionally choose a perspective or way of thinking about your job that can generate feelings of satisfaction or fulfillment. Or at least generate a sense of neutrality.
From this more positive emotional place, you'll be better able to make the important decisions we all have to make from time to time and that is, what to do next.
You want to be making important decisions like that from an emotional place that serves you. Because running away from problems will rarely get us to the place of career fulfillment that we're longing for. We want to make those big important changes from a place of feeling empowered and good and from a place of possibility and clarity.
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 091: Reframing What Failure Means Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

Most of us have a healthy fear of failure. At least in some area of our life.
And the thing about that is that it can hold us back.
It keeps us from pursuing our goals. It's the driving force behind procrastination, perfectionism, stagnation and so much more.
This all came up for me because I've been working on some huge, audacious goals for my business in 2023. And as I was doing some thought work with my own life coach, she asked me a question that blew my mind.
She said, "What if failure isn't even real?"
I immediately went into tilt. And I pushed back.
Because I kept thinking, "Of course failure is real!"
But as I really explored that idea over the next few weeks, I realized that what she was saying was true. Failure is an idea. It's a concept.
And most of us - through the course of our lives and experiences - have formed this idea of what failure means and what it will say about us if we try something and don't succeed at it initially.
But the truth is, it's NOT a real thing.
It's not one of the laws of the universe, like say, gravity.
It's an idea that varies in meaning for each of us. We don't all have a shared idea of what it means or even whether it's important or not. What it means to use depends on our own set of experiences, what people have told us and our own perceptions of things we've observed. All of that has gotten stored away in our mind.
And it can and does, hold most of us back. At least in some areas of our life.
But it doesn't have to. Give the episode a listen and see how you might decide to reframe failure in your own life.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 090: How to Do Daily Self Coaching (How to Self Coach #2 of 2) Aug 28, 2022

Show notes

In last week's episode, I shared the coaching methodology I use in my practice. It's based on the Cognitive Behavior approach to psychology and it helps uncover hidden patterns of thought which might be holding you back or keeping you from realizing your goals and fullest potential.
And in this week's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to use that methodology in a daily self-coaching practice.
I'll walk you through the process step by step so you can start your self coaching today.
As you start doing this practice daily, you'll begin to gain a deeper awareness into your own patterns of thinking and you'll start to see how those patterns are actually creating everything in your life. All of the challenges and triumphs ultimately start from how you're thinking about the people and challenges around you, how you think about yourself and your possibilities.
And as you gain in awareness, you'll get to decide whether those recurring patterns of thought are serving you and if not, you'll be able to select new thoughts you want to think instead. Thoughts that will power an entirely new future for yourself.
Give it a try. Commit to three months and experience all the shifts that are possible for you.
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 089: The Five Parts of Any Problem (How to Self Coach #1 of 2) Aug 21, 2022

Show notes

This is the first in a two-part series on how to change your career and life through the power of self-coaching.
In this episode, I introduce you to the cognitive-approach to coaching that I use in my practice. It's based on the Cognitive Behavior Therapy (called CBT) approach, a method of psychological treatment that helps you uncover hidden patterns of thought and the role they're playing in your life. It helps you identify the thoughts that are the source of your problems and replacing those with new, more helpful thoughts that will lead to better outcomes in your life.
We talk about the five interrelated parts of any problem. And the role that your thoughts have in either contributing to or diminishing the challenges that come your way.
This is really important. It's foundational really when it comes to having the career or life you want. And yet, we aren't taught this. We don't usually learn this unless we find a therapist or coach who teaches this CBT approach.
I'm going to share the foundation of the methodology in this episode. And next week, I'll walk you through how to set up a daily self-coaching practice so you can put it into practice.
This is life changing stuff. And it applies equally well to your career or any aspect of your life.
It's so important, it's one you might want to listen to more than once. And be sure you join me next week to learn how to use it on a daily basis.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 088: How to Get More Done Every Day Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

In today's demanding, always-on world, most of us are telling ourselves stories around time.
We're too busy.
We don't have enough time.
There's not enough hours in the day.
It's easy to believe that story. Because in truth, most of us are legitimately, quite busy.
With emails and IM's and days packed with meetings and a personal life filled with loved ones and houses and other obligations, it's all to easy to believe that there's no cure for the busyness.
And that there's no way to get it all done.
But here's the thing.
When life gets busy, we have to next level our approach to time management.
And today I want to share a simple approach to doing just that.
It's super easy to do and yet it takes your level of focus and work output to the next level.
And it'll help undo learned patterns of behavior like perfectionism, procrastination and so much more.
You'll actually find more time in your day while significantly increasing the volume of work. And even up-leveling the quality of your work.
For the details, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 087: How to Stop Comparing Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

Well hello friends. I hope you had an amazing week.
Today we're going to talk about how to stop comparing yourself to others.
And I don't think that's an accident in today's social media-driven world.
But what originally inspired the episode was a quote I saw from Teddy Roosevelt, which said that “comparison is the thief of joy.”

And that made me want to talk about it in this episode because our careers (and our lives for that matter) are full of opportunities to compare ourselves with others.

So, let’s look at where this need to compare comes from. According to psychologists, it gets programmed into us from a very young age.

It might start when we’re young with a parent saying something like, “why can’t you be more like your sister.”

It continues through our school years, with teachers comparing student performance or behavior, like keeping a chart with names and gold stars. Or my personal favorite…my algebra teacher in freshman year who seated us according to how we did on the last test. Low scores in front and high performers in the back row. Math was never my thing so needless to say; I wasn’t sitting in the back row.

It continues throughout our school years as we look to others as a way to measure how WE’RE doing.

And of course, it continues throughout our lives. Relationships. Families. Possessions.

Our careers are also a place where we look to others to measure how WE’RE doing.

Basically, we’ve learned to measure our own performance or value by comparing ourselves to those around us. While some of us rely on comparison more than others, it’s something we all do on occasion.

In psychology, it’s called “social comparison theory.” The theory says that as humans, we’re driven to define ourselves and our value. And one of the ways we do this is by comparing our abilities and achievements to those of other people.

The theory goes on to say that we’re prone to “upward social comparison” when it comes to looking at our own abilities. Which basically means that we compare ourselves to others who are ahead of us, and we use that as a way to measure how we stack up to them.

There’s also something called “downward social comparison” which is when we look to others who are behind us or perhaps in more challenging circumstances. In this case, we look to them because it helps us feel better about ourselves because we think “well, at least I’m better off than that person.”

So, is the habit of comparing ourselves to others a good thing or a bad thing?

Well…the answer is, it depends on our motives for the comparison. And of course, like everything else we talk about on this podcast, I believe the answer is that it can be a VERY good and helpful thing if we use it with purpose and good intention. But it can also be a tool we use to make ourselves wrong or bad or not good enough.
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

Ep 086: How To Mentally Deal With Things You Don’t Want Jul 30, 2022

Show notes

Last week I re-shared one of my Most Valued Podcast episodes called Soothing Your Inner Critic. It was originally episode 6 and now I shared it again as episode 85.

I did that because I have new listeners joining the podcast all the time and now that there’s more than 80 episodes, I know you guys don’t always have time to go back that far to listen. So, I thought I’d share again because most of us have at least occasional flare-ups of our inner critic in whatever form it takes. And it’s good to be aware of it and to understand how to calm or soothe it.

Because if we don’t learn how to do that, it can hold us back from the things we want most in life. So, if you haven’t had a chance yet, you might want to go back and give that episode a listen.

But today I want to build on last week’s episode. And I want to talk about how to bring your brain back to neutral no matter what challenges are going on in your work or life.

How to practice self-command when it comes to what you CHOOSE to think about you, your possibilities, your work, your challenges.

All of it.

Because when it comes to making the most of life, I think most of us would agree that life is what we make of it. I mean we know that we’re all going to have challenges and most of us intuitively get that our attitude determines our altitude. Or that we need to make lemonade from the lemons. Or whatever cliché you want to use. The clichés are there because in general, they’re universally agreed upon truths.

But guess what?

Very few of us know how to direct our thought life. How to think ON PURPOSE.

Why?

Because we’re not taught this.

When you really stop to think about it, it’s kind of interesting that literally no part of our education – unless you study mental health or psychology – teaches us how to manage that super powerful computer processor that is our brain.

We have zero idea of how to consistently make it work for us. And because of that, even the most disciplined personal development devotees will experience hit or miss results.

And your average person doesn’t even know that their brain is theirs to direct. And that the way they feel doesn’t just HAPPEN. It’s not random. It happens because of a thought we’re thinking. It might be a thought in our subconscious…so one we’re not aware of. But it’s that thought that’s causing us to feel crappy. Not the situation that’s going on.

And here is where people who are new to this concept sometimes jump in and talk about all the “bad” things that happen in life. Sickness. Death. Financial Troubles. Job Loss. And they say, those things are bad, and I can’t just tell myself they’re good.

So let me set the record straight. Yes. Bad things happen. And the answer isn’t to try to tell yourself they’re really a good thing. But the key is to adopt a view of life that says, hey…the human experience is going to be part good and part bad. Sometimes we have the ability to change bad to good, but sometimes we just have to deal with it.

So, what we’re going to talk about today is not magical thinking. It’s not trying to turn everything into sunshine and daisies. Because that’s not realistic. But what I want to talk about today is how to talk charge of your thought life. How to decide ON PURPOSE what you want to think about the things going on in your life. About you. About the people in your life. About anything. Because it is a choice.
For more, give the episode a listen.

Do you have a question you'd like to have addressed on the podcast? Want to give us some feedback or suggestions? Click here to send us a text.

Follow us on Instagram @thepurposefulcareer.
Learn more about Next Level, our monthly membership at https://www.thepurposefulcareer.com/nextlevel.

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