HOW TO STAY AUTHENTIC TO YOURSELF THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER

WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON BY: DANIELLE MCCOMBS, ΔI

As a professional life coach, I work with women in all different stages of their career. They may be looking to make a big change and pivoting to something completely new or they may be seeking ways to feel more aligned with their current career or position. In any case, the process to decide the next step to take is the same, they must find their authentic self.

Being authentic means being true to one’s own personality, spirit or character. To live an authentic life we have to do the hard work of getting to truly know ourselves, not just the person we think everyone wants us to be. When our words, actions and behaviors consistently match our identity we are being authentic.

Uncovering your authentic self can take time and work, but leads to a much more fulfilling life.

If you are a recent graduate or early in your career using these tools is a great way to start your journey. I wish I understood the importance of understanding myself before starting my career. If you are later in your career and have not even thought of your relationship to work in these terms, no need to worry, it is never too late to find ways to show up in alignment with your authentic self.

Core Values

The first step to finding your authentic self is to identify your core values. Core values are beliefs that we have and they are so important to us that we live our life according to them. Taking time to identify what your core values are is an important activity. Your values can provide clarity when making important decisions and guide the direction you want your life to take and give insights to what matters most to you.

Throughout our lives our core values will change. At each stage of life we will have different priorities. As we learn, grow and have different experiences, we will change, as will the values that govern our life.

Identifying and understanding your core values can allow you to be more intentional with the direction and development of your career. When working in alignment with your core values your work will be much more satisfying and meaningful.

I recommend taking stock every one to three years to see if and how your values have changed and update the way you are making decisions. You can find a guide to identify your core values through my podcast, The Opposite of Small Talk, for free at www.theoppositeofsmalltalk.com/ corevalues.

Core values are crucial to knowing if we are living in alignment. When a core value is not being respected, you are going to feel off. There might be friction or tension with another person that is violating your values. Be aware of your emotions, when you feel irritated, annoyed or agitated as it can be an indication that your values are not being honored. If there are elements to your job or career that are at odds with your core values, it will make doing your job very difficult and stressful.

It is important to note that making a career change if your core values change is always an option. It can seem daunting and overwhelming, maybe even impossible, but that all comes from our own limiting beliefs that are self imposed.

Take it from someone who made a complete career change after 20 years in the same industry, if we can get past our own blocks, anything is possible.

Superpowers

Now that we understand our core values we can reflect on our superpowers. Everyone has superpowers! Superpowers are the things that you do well, that come to you easily but someone else would see as something that is incredible and wonder, “WOW! How does she do it?”

We often cannot see our own superpowers and we may even diminish them because they just come to us easily so we think, no big deal, everyone must be able to do that if I can. The true use of your superpowers can bring a level of joy and ease to your career and everyday life.

To identify your superpowers, interview people in your life, friends, family, classmates, work colleagues. Ask them, what is something that I do that you think is miraculous? Something that makes you say “How does she do it?” This might seem a bit awkward, but I promise that it is incredibly insightful and beneficial. Understanding how the people who know you best see you can provide clarity about yourself and confidence in how you show up.

WHAT LIGHTS YOU UP?

Take note of the things that when you are doing them you feel like you lose time, you look up and realize that hours have passed but you were so engrossed you didn’t notice. Another way to think about it, what are the things that don’t make you look at your phone? Is it getting lost in a spreadsheet? Having a meaningful conversation? Is it creating something with your hands? Writing?

Finding something you are passionate about and get lost in is very powerful and can bring great purpose and meaning to your life.

Regularly making time to evaluate yourself and your career is imperative to being authentic. At each stage of your career be mindful of the choices you are making; being reflective can help keep you in alignment with yourself or take corrective action when necessary.

Early Career

Starting out in the “real world” can be a very scary thing. We are set off on our own to make decisions and support ourselves for maybe the first time. The choices of what to do can be overwhelming, all of a sudden the path that we are on has become a lot more complex to navigate.

Some important questions to ask yourself are: What are your priorities? What are the contributions that you want to make? What do you want to learn? What are the boundaries you want to hold for yourself?

Mid Career

Now you have a lot more information about you, about what it means to have a career and how you want your life to look. For many women this is the time where you become a mother. Having a family cannot be something that is put in a silo, you will have to make adjustments to the way that you spend your time and the expectations that you have for yourself. Are there adjustments or changes to be made so that your career is more in alignment for what your current life looks like?

How do you want to use your experience? What are the contributions that you want to make? What is the impact you want to have? How have your priorities changed? Have you made adjustments to your goals and expectations?

Late Career

As you come toward the end of your career you have more perspective and experience about who you are, how you work and what you want. What are the most pressing priorities that you have now? Are you able to reap the benefits of the hard work of your earlier career? Is there a legacy you want to leave behind as a part of your career? What does that look like? Do you want to leave your career with an exclamation point!! Or is a period just fine?

Retirement

The day you retire is not the time to start planning what your retirement is going to look like. Reevaluating your core values prior to this change is crucial. In many cases people are looking ahead to retirement as the holy grail, the payoff for your many years of hard work. Being intentional about how you want to spend this very well earned time is just as important as what you do when you decide to take a job. Do you want to travel, volunteer, spend time with family and friends? You will have new found freedom, but that can turn out to be daunting for some without putting real thought and intention of what is important to you and how to spend your time.

Throughout your career you should be reevaluating your core values, superpowers and what lights you up every few years. We will develop new superpowers and passions. Recognize that our careers have the ability to change as we grow. One might come before the other, a career change can lead to immense personal growth, or personal growth may lead to wanting a change in your career.

Remember that it is ok for goals to change based on the way that your life changes. We do not live a life in a straight line, the path we are on is always evolving and we need to make sure that we are navigating it from our most authentic selves.

Give yourself grace as you navigate the different stages of your life and career, they all come with a learning curve which EVERYONE experiences. Have patience and know if you are showing up authentically as yourself, being true to your core values, using your superpowers and focusing on what lights you up everything else will fall into place.

Do you want to Live Life With Intention?

Danielle believes that everyone is naturally creative, resourceful and whole. External expectations that are put upon us by society and others can dim the light within us. The world needs everyone to show up as the truest version of themselves. As a coach, Danielle holds space for her clients to explore themselves and how they show up in the world. By following curiosity and intuition she guides clients to live a life with intention.

She is a growth minded individual that is constantly striving to improve herself and deepen the understanding of the world around her.

After a 20 year career in commercial real estate Danielle decided to pursue her passion of inspiring others to be the best version of themselves. Danielle is a Co-Active Professional Certified Coach and has started her own Life Coaching practice, Danielle McCombs Coaching.

Danielle hosts the podcast "The Opposite of Small Talk", with her friend Kristy Olinger where they explore topics about personal and professional development focusing on connection, reflection and social justice.

Danielle holds a Masters of Real Estate from the Schack Institute of New York University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware where she was a proud member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, Delta Iota.

A native New Yorker who relocated to San Francisco in 2016 spends her free time traveling, listening to podcasts while on long walks, enjoying live music & comedy shows, or curling up with a good book or TV show with her cat Moira.

If you are interested in exploring how you could benefit from coaching please book a complimentary session with Danielle on her website www.daniellemccombs.com