Siobhan Barnes

Have you ever had a career goal?

Maybe it was to find another job at a different company, or to land a certain number of clients in your business.

With that clear goal, you’ve mapped out all the steps.

You’ve managed to execute on those steps, ticking off every item on your to-do list.

YET, you haven’t achieved that desired result….

Whether it be landing that new job or finding those paying clients coming to work with you.

Not all action is created equally.

In today’s episode of the podcast, we’re going to unpack why we can work towards a certain goal, taking all the “right” action and still find that things are not working.

One of the biggest challenges I continue to bump up against, right alongside my clients is:

How do I balance my work with my desire to be present with my family?

Personally…my family is entering a new season and chapter.

Our eldest child just entered secondary school this academic year. And with that we’re all navigating new priorities, new ways of being present. I’m feeling into a different chapter for my child and also myself in work…..

I’m back in the studio recording this podcast after a beautiful summer holiday away with my family….

Upon my return I’ve been reflecting on how I want to show up differently and “better” in my life and work…

“Better” being a subjective term which has a personal meaning for this season of my life and work.

With the benefit of taking a pause from the usual daily and weekly routine, naturally I’ve been able to get some perspective on how I had been operating in less than ideal ways and quite honestly self sabotaging myself and making things waaaay harder than necessary.

I recently went down the internet rabbit hole.

For me that involves topics on career, women in leadership, business, money etc) and I stumbled on an article by HBR on Whether An MBA is Really Worth It?

It got me thinking about the number of conversations I’ve had over the years with professional women debating whether to take an MBA to advance their careers.

Usually they speak to me to weigh up the pro’s and con’s…

Most of us want to earn great money doing work we love.

If you ask anyone if this is possible and how to do it, the answers will vary…

When I was back in Corporate, earning great money but feeling spiritually bankrupt, I wanted a magic pill to tell me what I should do.

Unfortunately after doing this work for 9 years, I know that it doesn’t work like that.

Getting clear on how you can do work you love and get paid for it is a bit like solving a puzzle.

There are core pieces that you need in order to create the puzzle that makes most sense for you.