In February 2022, out on a snowy (rare!) dog walk in London, I listened to a podcast, let my mind wander and had one of those lightbulb moments: Career Coaching.
It just popped into my head.
But it also didn’t. Because the idea slowly grew under the surface over the course of about 15 years.
I had always enjoyed mentoring people in the different companies I worked at. I also joined my university’s mentoring programme to support first year students with their transition into uni life. And I was an outspoken (no surprises there) student representative in my high school.
Nobody ever suggested I become a career coach and while the idea came suddenly, it wasn’t a surprise to me. It felt like a natural next step.
When people tell me they want to start a business but don’t know what their business should be about, all I can say is: that was me until that day in February 2022.
And it was a similar feeling when I wrote my first book. I had a long-held dream to write a book, but didn’t know what to write about. Until the topic hit me in the face. Data visualization of all things became THAT topic for me.
In hindsight it’s often easy to spot the patterns and to unravel the path you took to get somewhere. It may even finally make sense how the different things had to happen in order so you could get to where you are now.
If I had to do it all again, I don’t know if I would change anything except paying more attention to the things that I was already doing. I would have written down the questions other people came to me with. Maybe I would’ve discovered my strengths and interests a bit sooner. But probably it all came in the right way and at the right time.
Today, if you’re up for a small exercise, grab a piece of paper and list three things that people at work tend to ask you about. These will give you a clue to what you’re known for and the expertise (and perception of expertise) others see in you.
Have a great day!
Eva