Redundancy is truly a question of swings, roundabouts and roller coaster rides. Last month I started by saying “what an amazing month this has been”. This month starts with “where on earth did this month go and what, if anything, have I achieved?” This month has been a frustrating month as far as my career journey goes.
Since 15th January when I signed my redundancy papers I have been pushing and pushing and pressing on without really giving myself healing or breathing time. I have probably overdosed slightly on courses. I have basically said yes to any course that has had any relevance to my career path and that I believed could help me on my journey. This has actually resulted in me putting myself under an unnecessary amount of pressure. Instead of taking one step at a time I realise I have been trying to take a lot of parallel steps. I have to be realistic about how much I can cope with and absorb in one go. This journey is about personal development and that requires time for reflection. Again, I need to remind myself to run my job search as a project, having clear and realistic goals and a clear plan for the road ahead.
Also, I need to bear in mind that I am still working and have not been released my current position. This means I have two jobs – my current job plus my future career which means more than a full working week. My current job is a constant distraction and makes me loose my flow and focus. It is an energy thief. I understand why companies are recommended to release staff as quickly as possible after they have been given notice of redundancy. Having to keep staff on becomes like a bad marriage between the employer and employee and can be very destructive. I hope that I will be released soon so I can focus 100% on the road ahead.
So that was the “lows” but there has also been a fantastic “high” and that is that I have been accepted to a coaching course in the Autumn. If all goes as planned I will be a certified coach by my last day of employment in January 2019 and ready to start my own company.