The words “Tell me what you want, what you really really want” are more than just lyrics of a late 90s pop song by the all-girl group Spice Girls.
The seemingly inane lyrics reminds me as a professional life & business coach of the two most important questions that everybody must ask themselves if they’re serious about wanting growth in their personal and professional lives.
Here are the two questions with real-life responses from a client currently going through the coaching process. (With permission from him of course.)
What do you really want?
After nearly a year of working my first corporate job after graduating college, I realized that the corporate world does not give me the lifestyle that I want. After living the 9-5 grind, I learned that there are three nonnegotiable terms I must have with my career:
1. I must have direct control over my successes and failures – I will stop waiting for someone else to reward me or to take the blame.
2. I must have direct control over my lifestyle – Only I will decide where I work, how I work, and who I work with.
3. I must have direct control over my work – I will only ship products that I am passionate about and can take ownership of.
Within 2 years, I want to start a freelance business that adopts these terms and conditions.
What’s the biggest change that you need to make in yourself in order to get what you want?
The biggest change that I need to make in myself is to start being okay with being uncomfortable.
Quitting my corporate job and turning down job security will be scary. Learning something new and failing until I succeed will be scary. Yet, I must believe that in the end, I will succeed despite those fears.
There will be times of uncertainty, times of financial struggle, and times when my own inner dialogue will turn against me. Yet, I must have a clear head to accomplish my next goal.
I must be ready to leave my comfort zone for a chance to reach something greater. Achieving my dreams means that I will always be pushing past my comfort zone, and I must be okay with that.
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Next steps for this particular client would entail concrete action items that would push him out of his comfort zone.
Can anybody relate?
So, what is it that you really want?
And what is the change that you’d need to make in yourself to make it happen?
And lastly, be honest with yourself here…are you willing to put the time and effort into making that change?
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