Let’s Talk About the Hole in Your Life

Face it: everyone has a hole or two in his or her life, though for some it’s a pin hole while for others it’s a chasm.

Perhaps you long for something or someone you’ve lost. Maybe someone failed to return your affection. Do you wish you had something you lack? Perhaps you expected a promotion but did not receive it. Did you make a mistake you wish you could undo? Does your life somehow not live up to your dreams?

The list is endless. The result is one or more holes in your life.

So, what can you do about it?

Most people probably ignore it if possible or “stuff” it away in the hopes that time will heal all wounds, but this can also lead to other issues if the matter is left unresolved. Then there are some who call it “baggage”—issues that may weigh your future down if you let them. Besides, smart and perceptive people will see this issue looming through your behavior even if you try to hide it.

A better option may be to acknowledge the hole in your life and admit it to yourself. Some such gaps can be addressed. Others must simply be accepted.

Which are you carrying around?

Professionals often confuse their self-worth with the work that they do and how they are seen in the workplace. Being passed over for a promotion can therefore feel like a personal insult. Being fired can be a huge blow to your ego. Seeing others grow and progress when you are standing still is immensely frustrating. Or sometimes work that seemed so rewarding earlier in your career suddenly seems shallow and irrelevant.

In all these cases, a reexamination of your career path is a healthy response.

At The Barrett Group we recognize that people are more than just a title or a string of accomplishments. As a result, when we help executives clarify their career objectives during our Clarity Program© we assist them in looking holistically at their lives, examining not only their professional aspirations, but also their financial, social, and health circumstances. This guided self-assessment helps clients really take stock of their lives and then decide what it is they want or need to change.

Here’s how one client felt about her Clarity Program© experience:

The Clarity Program is not just for those who want to learn more about themselves to achieve success; it is more to gain a happier sense of success. You can be the most confident person in interviews, negotiations, meetings, etc., but if you do not seek to better your understanding of yourself and your happiness, that success will not mean near as much. The Clarity Program provides insight into who you are as a person, both professionally and personally, and your ‘why.’ Their counseling to go into depth on communication styles and how to go through your career with your best foot forward is unmatched. [Janee Stanton. Read more.]

The reason we even offer the Clarity Program© is very simple.

Yours truly, Peter Irish, hired The Barrett Group to help him with his next career step in 2014. A lack of clarity led me to waste months in the market as I pursued first this priority and then that one… because I really did not know what I wanted to do. Put another way, I was unclear on which if any of the holes in my life could really be resolved through my career choices.

As a result, we help clients accelerate their original career path or choose a completely new direction—whichever best meets their holistic needs. Are you looking for more income? More responsibility? Perhaps, more recognition? More self-determination? Work from home?

We can help with all of these and many other challenges.

Once the choice of direction is made, the rest of our career change program lines up behind that objective—one of the many reasons that Forbes has for years cited us as one of the best in the career management business.

Here’s how one recently landed executive client summarized her Barrett Group experience:

I can’t even express how much I love my new position! I love the flexibility to work from home and that this company is on the cusp of tremendous growth. Also, I love that the managing partner supports me and trusts me to make decisions. I really value the perspective The Barrett Group gave me about the job market and how to navigate the challenges. I don’t think anything could have been better about my experience. [Victoria Sydorowicz – Controller, Read more.]

How about you?

Are you prepared to acknowledge and address hole(s) in your life through your career? When you are, we can help. Don’t waste months fruitlessly meandering in the executive market. Give us a call.

Peter Irish, Chairman
The Barrett Group