The Exclusive Career Coach

Here’s the first thing I want to say about the uncertainty of our future in the face of COVID19: The future has ALWAYS been uncertain. I am recording this in April for a drop date in mid-May, which gives time for a lot to have changed in between. So if you’re back at work and everything is as it was before the quarantine, great.However, I highly doubt it.Most likely your life is much the same as it was in late March and April. Meaning: the future is uncertain.When will you get to go back to work?Will your employer be there to go back to? When will schools, and restaurants, and the hair salon reopen? So here’s the perspective I want to offer: When you were planning your 2020 back in late December or early January, how many of you put this quarantine in your planner? Scheduled it in Outlook?No one. So, then, your future, as of late December or early January, was uncertain.Because your future is always uncertain.Nothing’s gone wrong to cause this pandemic. The pandemic was always going to happen.How do we know that? Because it’s happening.You can argue with reality, but you’ll lose 100% of the time.My mother was always going to die when I was 23 years old.I was always going to marry more than one man I wasn’t compatible with.I was always going to need my gall bladder removed in 2005. Nothing went wrong in each of those instances.Nothing has gone wrong in 2020.So when you think about your future, whether that’s three months from now or three years from now, it’s uncertain.The question, then, is now what?There’s a circumstance in the world called COVID19. Or, as I like to call it, Virus Jail.Now what?What do you want to think about this time of quarantine? This time of being out of a job? Or perhaps this time of working harder than you’ve ever worked?What do you want to think about your chances of getting a new job? About your financial future? About the world?What do you want to make all this mean?Here are my best strategies for navigating an uncertain future (which, remember, is always). Name the emotion. One of the most useful tools to bring your anxiety level down is to name the feeling you’re having. Sad, scared, worried, afraid, terrified…what is the emotion you’re experiencing right now? Describe how the emotion feels in your body.Calling the emotion out will really bring the anxiety about that emotion down. By bringing it out into the light, it is less scary and more manageable. Is it a fluttering in your stomach?Is your pulse racing? Do you feel pressure behind your eyes? When you think of your feelings this way, they seem much less scary and harmful. Identify the thought causing that emotion.Every emotion you experience has a corresponding thought. If I’m feeling scared, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “I don’t want to catch the virus.”If I’m feeling afraid, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “I don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills.”If I’m feeling sad, perhaps it’s because I’m thinking “Aunt Jenny just tested positive for the virus.”Notice it’s not COVID19 causing your feeling. It’s your thought about COVID19. About your employment status. About Aunt Jenny. Decide if you want to keep thinking that thought.Some thoughts whisk through our brain and we quickly discard them.“Where did that come from?” we ask ourselves.Other thoughts are ones that we keep thinking over and over, and they become part of our belief system.The thought creates a new neural pathway in our brain, so that the brain can become more efficient in thinking that thought by relegating it to our subconscious.This is great if those habitual thoughts serve us; not so great if those habitual thoughts are destructive.Some destructive thoughts right now that I’m hearing from a lot of clients are:“There are no jobs available.”“No one is hiring.” “It will be very difficult to get a job right now.” Give equal airtime to the best possible future.Because the future is always uncertain, why not entertain the possibility of the best possible future for yourself? Instead of thinking you’re going to be out of work for months and living in a cardboard box, how about thinking you’re going to get a fabulous new job that pays more than you were making?My coach says we’re all delusional, so we might as well be delusional in our own favor. Set a 90-day goal.Put your brain and this downtime to good use by picking a project you can achieve in 90 days, then GET BUSY.My project has to do with physical pictures I’m scanning and putting into digital photo albums.Do you want to lose some weight?Get on a regular exercise routine? Clean out your garage? You’ll feel good in achieving this thing, and it will take your mind off the less healthy thoughts you’re having. Get help.Life coaches have never been busier than they are right now, because people need help managing their thoughts around the virus. As I’ve mentioned numerous times, I’m in Self-Coaching Scholars with Brooke Castillo, and many of the clients she coaches have issues around COVID19. I HIGHLY encourage you to look into Self-Coaching Scholars; it’s absolutely the best $297 I spend every month. If you can’t afford that right now, check out her FREE podcast, The Life Coach School. Another new podcast I really like is Brene Brown’s Unlocking Us. And, of course, there’s this podcast. Keep in mind that friends and family will give you their opinion. A life coach will hold space for you to see your thoughts and your feelings and process them in a safe environment. No judgment or opinions. It’s okay to be afraid.Here’s the caveat: Don’t let the fear hold you back. Don’t let the fear keep you from planning your future and getting shit done. Fear is just your primitive brain, trying to protect you from certain death. Thank it for its concern, then override it with your prefrontal cortex by planning and making decisions ahead of time. I like the visual of fear being a back-seat passenger in your car. It can state its opinion about where you should go and how you should drive, but it can’t take the wheel from you. Unless you hand the wheel over to your primitive brain, all it can do is state its opinion. Don’t expect it to be easy.One you set some goals — whether for getting a new job or accomplishing a project with old pictures — your primitive brain will FREAK OUT. Guaranteed.Your primitive brain will see this goal as dangerous, and its job is to keep you safe.Your job, then, is to plan for NOT wanting to do the thing you planned to do when it’s time to do it. You set aside an hour to call people in your network. I guarantee you’ll think of ten things you MUST do during that time. What will your strategy be for doing the thing anyway? One of the tools I like to use is to think of how proud my future self will be when I’ve accomplished that thing.In the case of my picture project, I picture how emotional my kids will be when I give them their childhood pictures. How much it will mean to them. Recognize – and reward – your progress.Many people wait until the job is done to reward themselves. Until they get the job to give themselves a treat. The completion of the task IS the reward. The new job IS the reward.What can you do every day to reward yourself for getting that day’s tasks done? Want help writing a superior resume for your job search? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in May to support you:https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/ To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon!   

Today’s guest is Lorraine Rise, and she’s speaking with me about being “Laid off Three Times by Age 30.” In this time when so many have lost their jobs due to COVID, Lorraine’s topic is both timely and inspirational. Lorraine has built her career on the practice of coaching others to succeed. Her career began in the health and weight loss industry, coaching hundreds of clients to reach their weight loss goals. As a Director and Regional Trainer for Jenny Craig Inc., she has hired, trained and mentored dozens of employees in the areas of sales, customer service, and management.After a layoff in 2013, Lorraine took the opportunity to make a career change into human resources. She has since supported the human resources and recruiting efforts at numerous firms in Information Technology including Lockheed Martin. Lorraine still actively recruits within the Intelligence Community (IC) for Integrated Intel Solutions. In 2015, she made another career change and founded Career UpRising. Lorraine holds a M.S. in Human Resources Management as well as certifications in Human Resources (SHRM-CP), Resume Writing (CPRW) and Career Coaching (CPCC).Lorraine has served well over 200 clients in over 30 industries, both public and private. Many of her clients come from some of the most recognizable firms in the country including Microsoft, Amazon, Fannie Mae, Morgan Stanley, and more.Career UpRising, LLC is located in the Washington DC metro area but serves clients all across the globe! Listen to Lorraine's inspirational podcast, Career UpRising, on InFlowRadio.com, iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find Lorraine Rise at: www.careeruprising.comlinkedin.com/in/lorraineriseor email her at lorraine@careeruprising.comWant help writing a superior resume for your job search? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in May to support you:https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/ To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

…okay, maybe I overstated a bit in the heading. Disappointment, rejection, and frustration are part of the deal when it comes to job searching.Here’s what is optional during a job search: Beating. Yourself. Up.Making that rejection notice…that non-response…mean something about you as a human being. As an employee. As a valuable contributor to the world.In the midst of Virus Jail, it’s even easier than usual to beat ourselves up during the job search. -Jobs aren’t growing on trees like they seemingly were just a few months ago.-Some industries are laying off, not hiring.-A lot of companies are taking a “wait and see” attitude to hiring. -Other companies will tell you they want to hire you…they just aren’t sure when.Here’s the question I want you to ask yourself about any thought that comes up for you during your job search:How does this thought feel when I think it?How do I feel when I think “I’m too old to get a job”?How do I feel when I think “I’m not going to get a job without a bachelor’s degree”?How do I feel when I think “I bombed that interview”? Conversely, practice these thoughts:“I still have 10 or more good years to contribute, and the right company will value my wisdom and experience.”“I have skills and experiences any company would benefit from.”“I learned a lot from that interview, and I will do much better the next time.”My coach says we’re all delusional, so it only makes sense to be delusional in a way that serves you.In a way that feels good. Repeat after me:“I will be an amazing addition to the right company.”“I will go through as many rejections as necessary to get to my dream job.”“I am a fantastic employee.”Now go out there and get rejected. Get ignored. Lather, rinse, repeat.And keep telling yourself how amazing you are.Because you are amazing.Here’s the link to this week’s FREE webinar:“What the HR Experts Have to Say About Job Searching Right Now”Thursday, April 30th 1:00 p.m. EasternHere’s the link to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4YxWrYplThuCDMrwBPRFgQCheck out my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

In honor of Earth Day 2020, today’s podcast guest is Katie Secrist, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Sustainable Business Consulting. She talks about careers in sustainability – what they are, how to get them, and specific strategies for navigating your social impact job search. Katie’s consulting portfolio includes Expedia, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Alaska Airlines; she has been featured on ESPN and in the Washington Post and USA Today.To contact Katie:Sustainable Business Consulting: sustainablebizconsulting.comVideo Modules: vimeo.com/ondemand/greenjobTwitter: @SecristKatieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketiesecristEmail: katie@sustainablebizconsulting.comLooking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/ To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon!

 First of all, let me wish a happy birthday to myself! This will come out on April 15th. This time last year, I was in Tuscany for my birthday. My, how the world has changed since then.Today, I want to talk about creative networking strategies in the era of Virus Jail. When in- person networking events are literally against the law for many of us.Here’s the main message I want to convey today: You can’t put your career or job search goals on hold during Virus Jail. You can’t wait to exhale until this is over.As I keep reminding you: Your goals are still your goals. How you achieve them may change, but the desired result hasn’t.The most effective job search strategy, hands down, is networking. The most effective career advancement tool is networking.Your challenge, then, is to get creative with networking during Virus Jail.Here are my top tips:-Set some networking goals.If you don’t do this on the regular, now’s an especially great time to start. For example, my goal is 3-4 networking events or one-on-ones each week. Just because I can’t do any of this networking in person doesn’t mean I have to cancel this goal. -Spend time daily on LI. -Add to your connections (those you know and those you’d like to know) -Reach out to each person as they accept your connection -Comment on people’s posts -Create your own posts/articles -Join some new groups and actively participate -Schedule Zoom or Skype networking meetings.People are feeling very isolated right now, and many people have more time now than when they are going into an office every day. Take advantage of this to schedule some virtual, face-to-face meetings with those in your network. -Reach out with quick, impromptu phone calls.With people you know well, there’s no reason not to reach out via phone. If they don’t answer, leave an upbeat, friendly message. If they do answer, ask if they have a few minutes to talk so you can catch up. -Participate in virtual networking events.I’m starting to see groups and organizations move their events online now, and there are also some new ones cropping up. Take advantage of as many of these as you can – you never know who you’ll meet. -Schedule your own virtual networking events. In this New World Order, there’s no reason you can’t schedule your own. It could be centered around your profession, your industry, a specific circumstance you’re in (i.e. moms who now find themselves working from home). It could even be a group of your friends. -Follow up, follow up, follow up.If you meet someone in a virtual networking event, make sure you connect with them afterwards on LI. Send thank you notes to those you meet with one-on-one or have a significant connection with online. When appropriate after the quarantine, ask someone you met in a group networking event to meet with you one-on-one.If you have something of value to offer someone you meet in a virtual networking event, such as a contact or helpful resource, send it immediately.Looking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/ www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon! 

 If you’ve been listening to the podcast recently, you’ve heard me refer to our New World Order as “Virus Jail.”For many of you listening—perhaps even most of you—your work has been directly affected by Virus Jail.Perhaps you are unemployed. Maybe you are working from home. Maybe you are working harder than ever, especially if your industry is on the front lines of CoVid 19. Maybe you’re working fewer hours than you have in the past.Which got me thinking that some of you may be considering a side hustle—a way to generate income when the way you’re used to generating income doesn’t currently exist.I’ve talked in the past about entrepreneurship, and the qualities needed to be a successful entrepreneur, so I’m not going to cover that here. For today’s purposes, let’s assume you’re not interested in starting a business but rather generating some extra income.If you want to earn some extra money during the months of Virus Jail, here are some steps:1. Assess what you’re really good at AND love to do. This can be related to your career, but it doesn’t have to be. I have a client who loves dogs and has a big yard. Because all the dog parks in her area are closed, she is offering a place for dogs to come and hang with other dogs for a few hours a week while mom and dad do whatever they need to do. 2. Think about where the gaps are right now. Signing up for Uber right now may not be the best idea, as so many people are staying home, but food delivery is a hot area. There’s demand for grocery store workers to help with stocking and curbside delivery because many employees are having to stay home with their children or elderly family members. And Amazon and other online retailers are booming right now. 3. Be willing to make some compromises. My daughter is laid off right now. She’s earning some money by doing a deep cleaning of the place she works at that is closed and cleaning some rental units as they turn over.Cleaning is not her strong suit and not something she loves to do, but it’s getting her out of her house a few hours a week, generating a little income, and helping improve her mood.4. Set some goals. These goals might include how much money you want/need to make, how your side hustle will fit into to your other responsibilities, and when you plan to exit your side hustle. If you’re also job searching, make sure you allow sufficient time to conduct an effective job search (i.e., not just looking at job boards). 5. Adjust your attitude.You get to decide what your side hustle means. Do you want to think of yourself as a victim of the current reality who has no choice but to do menial work? Or would you rather think of yourself as resourceful, capable, and flexible? The former will result in resistance to your side hustle, which is bound to affect your revenue. The latter will open you up to the new experience and what you can learn—about yourself, about a different line of work, about people—that you might never have learned otherwise.There are lots of online sites that are posting part-time jobs right now, and the availability of those jobs will no doubt change between the time I’m recording this and the time you listen, so I won’t post specific sites.Rather, I encourage you to look to your network. What do they need help with? Does someone need some in-home childcare while the daycare centers and schools are closed? Does someone who is now working remotely have temporary needs, such as administrative support or someone to run errands? Is there an entrepreneur whose online business is busier than ever and could use your help in some capacity? Looking for help with your job search during Virus Jail? Here's the link to a series of FREE webinars I'm conducting in April to support you:https://mastercoachwebinars.carrd.co/ www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon!  

Well, here we are in what I’m calling Virus Jail. For those of you who were job searching when this all began, or those of you who will be job searching as a direct result of Virus Jail, you have some unprecedented challenges ahead.Unprecedented, but not insurmountable.The world will go on. We can’t know what it’s going to look like or when companies are going to be back up and running again, but we know the world will go on.I was just listening to my coach, Brooke Castillo’s podcast, The Life Coach School. She was saying that the future has always been unpredictable. Three months ago, none of us would have imagined the reality we now find ourselves in—yet here we are.In light of the New World Order, I want to talk about career pivots and reinvention.Let’s start with a definition of career pivot:“The act of finding a different career, which is still reliant on your current skills, but helps you move in a new trajectory. Often the draw of a career pivot, compared to a career change, is that you don’t have to restart at the bottom of the ladder.” A lot of the information out there right now about career pivots centers around the necessity of having to pivot because of Virus Jail. I prefer to think of career pivots in terms of choosing to pivot, because that gives the person pivoting all the power, rather than being at the effect of the economy or other external circumstances. I like this further explanation from bizpenguin.com:“A career pivot is about using your existing experience to find a better job, but a successful pivot also involves being open to what careers might suit your skill base—beyond what you might be looking for. There are likely a great deal of jobs out there that you may not realize you’d be ideal for.”Here’s how I explain career pivots: just like a basketball player, you keep one foot stationary while you move the other. Your stationary foot remains in either your job function or your industry, while the other moves.A pivot, in my definition, is not moving both feet at the same time – that’s a traveling foul.Here are some pivot examples:-A CPA working in an accounting firm who pivots his industry to become a CFO at a non-profit-A sales manager in the manufacturing industry to pivots into an operations role with another manufacturer-A human resources generalist with a healthcare organization who pivots into a nursing position at her company after completing the necessary educational requirements-A customer experience manager with a large banking organization who translates his experience into healthcare and pivots into a patient satisfaction role-A CEO at a faith-based non-profit focused on healthy children who pivots into a marketing role for a faith-based radio station-A grounds manager for a major league soccer team who pivots into a sales role with an equipment company that does business with that soccer team-A sales and marketing professional in the travel industry who pivots into a sales and marketing role in a tech startup-A wait staff person who completes her degree and pivots into management with her companyHere then are my top 5 tips for successfully pivoting:-Take stock of yourself – your motivated skills, your values, your credentials, your personal qualities. What do you have to offer an employer?-Take stock of your current (or most recent) job. What did you like? What are you willing (even eager) to leave behind in your pivot?-Take stock of the job market. Where are the opportunities in this current reality we’re facing? Where would you be excited to pivot to? Does it make more sense to pivot your job function or your industry?-Get your marketing materials professionally updated. A career pivot requires a much higher level of strategy in your resume and LI profile than does a linear job search.-Get professional help with a pivot job search – someone (like me) who can help you put together a multi-pronged job search that will be effective in today’s job market.Now let’s talk about Career Reinvention. Here’s my definition: a Career Reinvention is the act of taking stock of where you are, where you want to be, and what it will take to get there.As I see it, Career Reinvention is the umbrella under which career pivots fall. The steps I mentioned under a Career Pivot are all part of the process of Career Reinvention.An analogy is in order: As part of my Vehicle Reinvention process, I’ve decided to pivot from a van to a small- to mid-sized SUV. Now that I’ve decided on a Vehicle Reinvention, I have some steps to take to pivot:-Research SUVs utilizing Consumer Reports-Secure financing-Narrow my options down to 3-5 top choices-Schedule test drives for each of my top choices-Schedule second test drives as necessary-Research best prices for my top choices-Engage in negotiations with my top choices-Select the best option for meSee how that works?Keep in mind that both a Career Reinvention and a Career Pivot presupposes a desire to make a change. It’s also entirely possible that, during your Career Reinvention process, you decide you don’t want to Pivot.You decide to double down on your efforts to remain in your current job function and your current industry.As I have been saying frequently in recent podcasts, the goal hasn’t changed. If you’re job searching, your desired result is still a great job.Virus Jail is simply requiring us to be more creative, more vigilant, and a lot more patient that in previous job searches.You’ve got this.To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon!

This week's guest is Angela Civitella, founder of Intinde and a certified coach to business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs. We talk about strategies for not only surviving, but thriving in the midst of the career lows you will inevitably face.You can find Angela at:www.intinde.comlinkedin.com/company/intindetwitter.com/intindefacebook/com/intindeInstagram: @angela_intinde To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.  Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!   

This is a special episode to help those of you who are job searching during the Coronavirus pandemic. To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites. Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk. Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS. Hope to see you soon!

Many people, perhaps most, don’t think of “passion” and “job” in the same sentence.They believe passion is for their family, their significant other, their hobbies.They lock their passion in the safe before leaving for work every day.The result? Long, unfulfilling days with little to show for them.Those of us who have aligned our passion with our work are excited and energized to get up in the morning, because our work is a reflection of who we are. What we were put on this earth to do.I think of my passion as being a vest I wear every day.Everyone can see it.It’s close to my heart.It keeps me warm.Over the years, people have shared with me the ways in which they aligned their passion with their work. Here are three examples:Bread and HistorySeveral years ago, I met a woman who had two passions: baking and history. She had majored in history in college, been a home economist and a teacher. Partial Eclipse; not bad.When I met her, she was giving baking demonstrations at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis…educating school children on how the settlers prepared their food. Total Eclipse. Perfect Alignment.Right Place, Wrong RoleOne of my clients, a mid-level manager at a large corporation, reached out to me because she wasn’t finding her work as stimulating as she once did.This sense of dissatisfaction had left her questioning everything…the company she worked for, the line of work she was in. She thought perhaps a drastic change was in order.Through our sessions, she was able to bring into focus something she knew—but didn’t know how important it was.Her passion is fixing broken things.She has the leadership, interpersonal, business, and change management skills to take what isn’t working…what is underperforming…and make it great.Once she does that, she’s ready for the next challenge. Think Mary Poppins.Maintaining the status quo isn’t fulfilling to her. And that’s what she’d been doing for the better part of a year.Our work together gave her the “ammunition” to have a crucial conversation with her boss, who subsequently put her in another broken department.Total Eclipse.Passion to Educate…and a Love of AnimalsI worked with a student many years ago who was about to graduate from college. He knew two things about himself: he wanted to help the needy globally, and he loved animals.He had never heard of Heifer International. When I exposed him to this global non-profit organization, it was like watching a plant take root and flourish.I’m getting goose bumps just thinking about it.He got a job helping people in Africa learn how to care for the livestock they received from Heifer International…livestock that would provide eggs, milk, and other life-giving food for their families.Total, Utter Eclipse.With these examples in mind, here are some steps I recommend to help you find your career passion:-Journaling (your perfect day, your energy around your current job tasks, dreams you had as a child and young adult, where your mind goes when you allow it to wander)-Talk to close friends and family (not their advice for you, but rather their perspective about what they’ve observed about you)-A career coach, like me (may include assessments and/or other activities)-Conducting informational interviews-Volunteering / part-time job / internshipIf you’d like to read what I consider to be one of the best books out there on this subject, I recommend Po Bronson’s “What Should I Do with My Life?” Po interviews people who have found their “total eclipse,” as well as those who were still looking. Great read. I also recommend Tim Kelley’s book, “True Purpose.” To visit my website: www.exclusivecareercoaching.comFollow My YouTube channel (Lesa Edwards); it’s chocked full of valuable career management content in easily digestible bites.Want to speak with an expert about your career/job search goals? Need help figuring out what’s holding you back from achieving your dream career? Let’s talk.Here’s the link to schedule a 45-minute consult call with me: https://my.timetrade.com/book/KRKLS.Hope to see you soon!