How big does your Disruption have to be?

About turning another year older and wiser...
The difference between finding and creating...
And realising when you are productive vs impactful...

Yep ... another year is over and I celebrated my birthday (best day to have birthday > Friday!! ) in Noosa and had an amazing weekend away with some of my most precious friends.

Turning another year older is one thing (and already amazing!).
But celebrating another year of being (because you feel 'arrived') on the right track after completely pivoting in my life - personally & professionally - is another level to be honest.

It was 4 years ago when I had my most pivotal moment.

I turned 30 years (which always marked a special milestone, since my childhood ... no idea why) and had it all (by the superficial looks of it anyway).

But nobody saw what actually happened in the background.

👉Anxiety attacks
👉Binge eating
👉Weight gain and cortisol levels through the roof
👉Excessive exercise to combat it (because I didn't know better aka didn't want to listen to all the specialists I paid a fortune to),
👉Sweaty nights
👉Exhaustion
👉Constantly feeling tired and the only aim was to get through the day.
👉And another day....

I'm an introvert at heart and growing up in a very high performing family where not pushing through the pain is considered as weak didn't make it easy for me to admit that I was on the wrong path.

Mistakes is not something you are proud of making.

Especially not when you all of a sudden feel that you wasted 10 years of your life, chasing the wrong 'ideal life' but everyone thinks you're living the dream.
 

Shouldn't you be grateful for what you have?
Others have much worse battles to fight.

Your biggest battles can be your biggest opportunities
(but only when you (choose to) see them)

Becoming a senior marketer within the FMCG industry, a leader with all the shiny things that come with it
- money, recognition, status, respect ... -
that was my 'goal'.

I didn't realise that I was trying to compensate my internal emptiness with chasing and getting all the external goodies -
until I had them all and still hated life.

It's not about creating and masking something you are not.
It is about being more of who you are already

I couldn't find a reason or explanation for why I always feel tired and exhausted.

I did all the right things:

🏃🏼🚴🏊exercised
(a lot ... 3h+ every day, 7 days a week)

🎧 listened to podcasts and downloaded
all the apps out there to meditate, to be more productive,
to get a better marketer, to relax more...
(but didn't do anything with the knowledge because I didn't know how it would apply to my life)

🍎ate very healthily
(apart from binging when it all was overwhelming and that was my way to get comfort) 

💻worked 12-14h a day
(now knowing that I was doing stuff, not necessarily stuff that moved the needle)


You name it, I did it.

And still ... nothing changed.
Until I was disrupted and had to do something about it.

Th environment I was in was very toxic and draining. I didn't just lose all my confidence but also the perspective of everything.

It wasn't until I was more or less forced to do something about it that I actually took action and started to explore what else is out there.

And this was it - the absolute turning point of my life!

It was being in the darkest spot in my life that I had ever been in - that I was forced to realise that this is not it and that I actually can do something about it.

Since then - 4 years later - I didn't only

✨progress in a new career very quickly (quicker than in the 10 years in my marketing career)

✨gained experience in areas that I never dreamt of

✨got exposure to new opportunities like board director roles, lecturing at Uni's, being a mentor for start ups and working with companies on their talent development

✨set up my own business and only a bit over 1 year in, I'm already at a scaling point

but also

✨worked with over 300 Professionals on
identifying, clarifying and communicating their genius zone and point of difference that others value and drawn to
so they gain the confidence and clarity on how they can
excel in their career and with that, in their life.

IF THERE IS ONE TAKE AWAY FOR YOU, THIS IS IT ...

DON'T WAIT TO BE DISRUPTED.
DISRUPT YOURSELF AND PUT YOURSELF IN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS BECAUSE YOU CAN CONTROL THEM WHEN YOU ARE PREPARED FOR THEM!

The worst thing that can happen is for us to make decisions out of scarcity and limiting mindset because it keeps us stuck where we are now.

• I have to take this job because i have to pay the bills ...
• I have to stay in this role because that's the only way I can make $xxx ...
• I have to do what I do until my kids are out of kindy...

You can always make back money.
You can't make back time.
 

One of the most common reasons for people to not act and change their current situation is money.
 

However, this is a reflection of yourself and belief in your own abilities to make the most out of it - nobody spoon feeds you.

All the knowledge in the world is useless
if you don't use and implement it.

This comes down to accountability but also clarity in the first place.

Once you are crystal clear about your competitive advantage, how you can own and capitalise on it
- not just for you but for a purpose much bigger than you - 
this is where the magic happens!

If you want to experience it, focus on those 3 key pillars:

1.) Excessive Education 

You need to get better as leader or selector of staff rather than blaming others.

How do I get better? How can I learn?

It’s all been seen and solved before > so learn from those who have been there 

2.) Willingness to invest in your future

Investment in training, coaching and mentoring > knowing it all is one thing, implementing it for you is another.

If you want to save time of your life, invest in a coach to speed up your development.
If you want to save money, continue to learn by trial and error.

3.) A truly open mind

In the beginners mind there are many options. 

In the expert mind, there are few.

> Young talents are successful because they are curious.

Create 'firsts' all the time and put yourself in new environments, situations, uncomfortable positions to stay alert, creative, challenged and with that, on top of your game. 

If you want to have an honest and challenging conversation with no fluff but feedback to get you out of your rut, book your FREE 45-min Strategy session to uncover!