by Isabelle Peyrichoux | Apr 5, 2018 | Roadblocks to Work You Love
- Do you sometimes think that the thing you love doing is weird? or not cool?
- or do you discount it, and think you don’t actually have anything you love or any passion? When people ask you what you enjoy doing, you cannot find an answer.
Well, I did. I used to think what I love was weird and “not cool.” … and this stopped me for a long time from doing the work I love.Since my early twenties, I have been drawn to personal growth. In bookstores (when bookstores where still popular!), I would spend hours in the Personal Help and Psychology section. I would totally dig learning more about me and how I could be more fulfilled in my life.When I went to my first therapy session at age 20, I totally loved it and I loved how I felt after! I discovered how cool it was for me to dig deeper within myself, to travel within, and learn more about how I function, how others function, and how we can grow.
Yet, I did not think it was a passion, or a least a legitimate one. When people would ask me what I love, I would not think about mentioning it. I thought it was a weird thing to love and I discounted it.
At the time, I could not find anybody who had this passion or who did work related to that passion.
In my family, it was non existent.
In my close communities, I would never heard of it.
In the medias, I rarely heard about it.
At school, it was not mentioned at all.
So I thought it was odd or weird to love it… and that I should love something else, more “normal.”
Like the “traditional” careers I would hear of and see around me: teacher, doctor, farmer, librarian, nurse, and so on.
I thought I had to choose one of them. There was no other choices.
So, I conformed.
I did the “cool” thing or what society says it is “cool.” Or I did what was available and known to me.
- First, I chose archeology, more because people thought it was “cool” than because I had a true passion for it.
- Then, I went into information science and user experience. I worked in the field of user experience for 10 years. There was definitely a part of it that I enjoyed, yet that was not my full passion.
When I would share what I do, I would hear “wow, this is so cool.”But inside, I was doubting if it was really that cool for me…
It is only in my mid thirties, when I reached a point I was very unhappy in my work, that I started seriously considering my love for personal development as a potential career path. Growing up, I did not fit into the “traditional career” category because what I loved was different. There was not category for it at least I could not see any. My love for personal development was not valued in my immediate environment and in the mainstream culture.
Can you relate?
- Do you discount what you truly love?
- Do you think what you love is not cool?
- Do you conform to what others or society think is cool?
- Do you think that what you love cannot be part of your career?
- Or do you think you cannot make a living out of it because you don’t know anybody around you doing that?
It is a common block I see with the clients I work with.
Well, I am a proof that this is not true. My passion for self-discovery and personal growth is an integral part of my livelihood now. A lot of my friends and acquaintances are people who do the same.Last Friday, I was at the
book launch of my friend, Brandon who like me, coaches people to align their lives and careers with their purpose. I was surrounded with so many people like me, who love personal and professional development and work in that field. My tribe! Where I belong.
I don’t feel weird anymore.
So, I know these old beliefs I had were not true. The more I feed my passion for personal growth, the better coach I am. All the classes and books I read helps me in my work. There is no more separation between my passion for personal growth and my work. Both are integrated!
Wow! Imagine…. what that would be like if some of your passions and your work were integrated?
- What is a passion you are discounting that is right in front of your eyes? … that is so obvious you cannot see it.
- or you discount it because you force yourself to fit the traditional career trajectories you see around you or what you hear is “cool.”
Have you even thought they could become an integral part of your work?
Don’t let your environment influence you!
It is not because you cannot see it around you, that it does not exist or it is not possible.Whatever it is, I’d love to hear! Please feel free to comment on this post!I have your back.
Isabelle
P.S. Don’t ask what is “sexy” for others, ask what is “sexy” for you. and go and do that!
“Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman
by Isabelle Peyrichoux | Mar 21, 2018 | Self-Care
Last week, I did something I have never done before.
I treated myself with a FULL day 1:1 with my kickass business and transformational coach, Kendra.
Which means…all of her attention and coaching was on me between 10am and 7pm!
Yes! I had her all for myself for a full day!
Wow! Can you imagine this? My inner personal growth lover was ecstatic!
- The whole agenda was MINE. I could ask support and coaching on ANYTHING I wanted.
- I was the one to decide where I wanted to do our session: inside, outside, in the steam room, anywhere I wanted!
- She treated me with yummy and healthy food for lunch and dinner.
- She would ensure all my needs where taken care of: food, water, tea, comfort, temperature, etc
- She even gifted me this beautiful innerSPIRIT rattle after I mentioned to her I wanted one.
- I let her be of service to me and my expansion.
How amazing is that? Here is what I realized: Receiving this was a radical act of self-care and self-love.I was able to treat myself and receive in such a way because I value myself enough to have it.
I deserve it.
I am important enough.
I love myself enough to treat myself in such a way. Don’t be fooled though. This is the result of several years of focus and expansion in that area. I had to practice a lot to get to that point. And there are still times when I deprive myself of what I want. I’m far from being perfect at it.
How much do YOU value YOURSELF to treat yourself in such a way?
To invest time, energy, resources in what you truly desire.
Do you think you are worth it? you deserve it? OR do you short change yourself?
do you deprive yourself of what you truly desire?
Take time right now to ponder this for yourself…
How much can you give to you?
How much goodness can you receive?
How good are you at receiving? at letting others serve you?
Are there any areas in your life where you short change yourself? Do you deprive yourself of what you truly want and need?
- is it vacation or days off?
- is it time for yourself to relax?
- is it that thing that you really want?
- is it that class you have always wanted to take?
- Is it hiring a mentor or a coach to support you in an area of your life where you are stuck and have been stuck for a while?
- is it something else?
Stop and look within. Whatever it is, be honest with yourself.
What are you noticing? What are you going to do about it? Today? This week?
Awareness is great but it is only the first step. Nothing will change unless you take action….and if you are already pretty good at treating yourself well.
What would stretch you to the next level?
What is one thing you have always wanted to do and have not allowed yourself to have or do?
What is the next level of your expansion?
Whatever it is, I’d love to hear! Please feel free to comment below.
To your brilliant life and career!
Isabelle
P.S. Remember: Expansion is a journey. I’m still on the journey as you are. Be kind with yourself if you notice it is hard for you to give to yourself what you deserve. but DO something about it. Take action! Action is the only way to shift this pattern. Start now. Don’t wait!
by Isabelle Peyrichoux | Feb 20, 2018 | Roadblocks to Work You Love
Do you know what saddens me the most in the work I do?
It is when I see people give up on themselves.
…give up on their talents
…give up on their dreams
…give up on their potential
…give up on the work they love.
I see their brilliance; I see them light up when they talk about what they love. I get so excited for what I see in them, the beauty I see, the amazing potential they have, the vision that is possible for them. I see amazing possibilities for them. I see who they are and who they can become. I see the fulfillment that awaits them if they tap into their true potential. I know it is possible for them if they would just reach for it…
They do work that is NOT who they are. They do somebody else’s work. They use someone else’s gifts instead of tapping into their unique talents and potential. Day in and day out, they work hard at being someone else and living someone else’s purpose.
They spend their whole life living someone else’s life and work. Often what society told them they should do.
And when it comes time to choose…
They choose the short-term comfort over their long-term fulfillment.
They abandon who they are. They abandon their brilliance, their potential, their dreams. They are wasting so much of their amazing resources.
Why do they do that?
They may give a lot of excuses (not enough money, not enough time, etc) but often this is not the true reason.
The true reason is: FEAR
They are scared: scared of change, scared of the unknown, scared of not being good enough. And they let the fear makes the decision for them and be in the driver seat of their lives.
Change is scary.
But this is the only way to a life and work of fulfillment. A life fully lived with no regrets.
What are you choosing?
Are you choosing fear? and to live an unfulfilled, half-lived life, stay in the comfort of not making any change, and have regrets at the end of your life?
OR
Are you choosing to discover and embrace the amazing potential and talents you have, and go after your dreams, live your purpose, find work that is meaningful?
The choice is yours. No one else.
This is not society’s choice, your parents’, your friends’, your spouse’s, nobody else but your choice, and you do have a choice. You may think you don’t, but you choose every day even by the decisions you don’t make.
You are the captain of your destiny. Nobody else can make this choice for you.
What will you choose?
If you choose a career of meaning and fulfillment and need support clarifying what it is, I would be delighted to help you.
My program Roadmap To A Career You Love is still open for a few more amazing people, and I’d love to see if we are a match.
You can learn more and apply here.
I look forward to talking to you!
If you have already chosen and are living work and life on your terms, I’m really happy for you!
To your brilliance,
Isabelle
by Isabelle Peyrichoux | Feb 17, 2018 | Success Stories
Is it really possible to make your career dreams a reality?
You may think it is not, or not for you.
Well, this is what Phoebe was thinking when I first met her in my my office in Oakland 2 years ago.
Her story (below) is a proof that it is possible, and for you too.
Phoebe was bored and stuck in work she hated. Her confidence was very low. She was very critical of herself and her abilities.
She mentioned a long time dream of living in Denmark but she had a tons of doubts about it: “Is that really what I want?”
“Do I have what it takes to move to another country?”
She was convinced that she did not and that moving to another country was for others but not for her.
I knew I could help her but she had so many doubts about herself that she nearly bailed.
But at the last minute, she did not. And this last minute changed her life forever.
Here is how.
She stayed and gave coaching a chance. She committed to the process, showed up, did the assignments I gave her.
She reconnected with her strengths; she got in touch with who she really was. She faced her fears and doubts.
She started to get her confidence and self-esteem back.
And then, through our work together, she clarified what type of career would be the best fit for her.
She became clear that Denmark was where she truly wanted to live and work.
And with her new regained confidence, she started thinking that maybe it was not as far-fetched as she thought.
I helped her clarify her vision for her ideal career and lifestyle and recommended her to do a vision board (collage of images) about it.
Here is a photo she put on her Vision Board in September 2016.
Guess what?
1 year later, she took this picture from the train station in Aarhus, Denmark. October 2017.
WOW!
SHE MADE IT!
She was accepted in a Master Degree in Aarhus University (Denmark) and she moved there in August 2017.
She is now living her dream.
Remember: She had LOTS of doubts, BIG fears; she did not think it was possible; she nearly bailed. But she did not and committed to the process, and now, she is on the other side, living her dream.
And if she did, so can you!
This is one of MANY success stories I could share with you. Stories from clients going from lost, stuck, confused, low confidence to living their career dreams.
If you are ready to clarify and manifest your greatest career dreams, I can help you too.
Here is how: I’m starting another round of my group program Roadmap To A Career You Love soon.
And I’d love to see if we are a match.
>>> Find more details and apply here.
Let’s create your success story.
Isabelle
P.S. This stuff works! Her story could be your story. This is proof that when you follow a proven system and get support, you can do it.
>>> Find more details and apply here.
P.P.S. Here is what Phoebe wrote about working with me.
“Isabelle is the kind of person who makes you feel at ease, who motivates you and brings out the best in you. I had some very emotional sessions with her, and she has the ability to frame things in a positive and constructive light so that you walk away feeling like a great weight has been lifted off your shoulders and that anything is possible.
“This has been a big investment in myself of both time and money, and it has given me the sort of strong foundation I was lacking. I am now working towards a goal that I believe in and that I’m excited and proud to tell others about, and I am overall much more confident in my own talents and abilities.”
Imagine what is possible for you.
by Isabelle Peyrichoux | Feb 8, 2018 | Career Change
Are you (or someone you know) feeling drained or experiencing low self-confidence, self-criticism, even maybe mild depression at work or as a result of work? or maybe you feel lazy, unproductive, unmotivated or compare yourself to your coworkers.
Do you believe this is normal and the way work is supposed to be?
Do you think something is wrong with you?
I get it. I used to feel that way.
I spent more than 15 years looking for my dream career. I got a Master’s Degree in art history and archaeology, but that wasn’t it. I returned to school and got another Master’s Degree in Information Sciences. I ended up spending 10 years in user experience. I initially enjoyed my work but… My days were filled with research and analysis and the dreaded comparison…
I compared myself to my coworkers, feeling like I was never as good as them. I wasn’t analytical enough, not decisive enough, not strategic enough. I was always trying to fit the corporate world and the tasks I was asked to do, but I failed to measure up.
I thought this was normal and the way it was supposed to be.
For 10 years, I lived a dual life. During the day I did work that became less and less a match for my strengths as I explored my true passions. In the evenings and on the weekends I fed my interest in personal growth. I read books. Took workshops. Filled journals about who I am, my talents, my purpose. I knew that one day I would turn my passions into my work. I just didn’t know how. I eventually reached a point where I hated my job and knew I wasn’t living my purpose.
Then I got laid off from Yahoo! It was a turning point for me.
I started to explore ways to turn my passion for personal growth into a career. I did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people. I found that career coaching was the intersection between my calling and what people needed most. I went back to school (again) to study counseling and coaching. I became a Certified Professional Coach.
Now, for the past several years, I’ve had my own business as a Career Reinvention Coach. I love what I do and am committed to helping people, like you, find the work you love.
And guess what?
All the past negative feelings I had about my work disappeared. Not that everything is perfect everyday, but there is an overall sense of confidence and contentment about my work I never had in my previous careers. I love what I do and I feel confident about it. I am in my element. Things flow easily.
Along the way I’ve discovered that the biggest reason people are unhappy in their career is because it is not aligned with their authentic self. Which is why I help my clients uncover their true self so they can find a career that aligns with their passion and purpose.
This is why after helping hundreds of people leave jobs they hated to find their dream career, I can tell you with confidence…
– Nothing is wrong with you
– This is not the way work is supposed to be.
I know it and I am here to help you.
I’m running another round of my group program to help people exactly in your situation. And I’d love to see if we are match.
>>> Get all the details and apply here.
I can’t wait to learn more about you and see how I can help!
Isabelle
P.S. I know how painful spending day after day in a job that is not a fit can be. It doesn’t have to be this way.
If you are ready to find a career you love while fulfilling your purpose,
>>> Get all the details and apply here.
P.P.S. If you are happy in your work but know people (relatives, friends, coworkers) who are not and struggle with what I described above, please share this information with them. I’m here to help!
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