Fiona Clark, founder of Inspired Mums career and confidence coaching, recalls a career defining moment in her life.

My career light bulb moment happened in 2005. I was a Business Account Manager in a major blue chip company with over 10 years experience and, at least on paper, a very successful career to date. One day, I found myself standing in a large cash and carry depot, arguing with the category buyer about where various brands of crisps should be positioned on a shelf. In a moment of absolute clarity – I realised that my heart was no longer in it and I didn’t care about the end result of the discussion.

From that point onwards, I became more and more aware of how empty I felt at work, as if it no longer had a purpose for me. Every Sunday night, I had that sinking feeling that another stressful and ultimately demotivating week was about to begin. Finally, with my stress levels sky high and my confidence rock bottom, I decided I needed to take some action and work out a plan – after all – no-one was keeping me in that job apart from myself.

But what did I want to do next? I felt stuck and unsure which direction I wanted my career to go. Having ‘fallen’ into my first career move, I was determined not to jump from the frying pan into the fire.  It was thanks to my brother, who had bought me some career coaching sessions for Christmas, that I was able to meet with a career coach and work through what I wanted from a new role.

One of the most useful things I learnt from the coaching was what motivated me – it was having ‘meaning’ in my work. Suddenly I completely understood why my sales role wasn’t right – it didn’t have enough meaning. For me, ‘meaning’ was about people and making a difference to their lives on an everyday basis.  With this essential insight, along with others about the type of lifestyle I wanted and the skills I enjoyed using, I was able to make a well-informed decision and change my career.

As a result of my own journey, I became passionate about helping others enjoy their work and fulfil their potential. In 2006 I founded Inspired Mums career and confidence coaching, which has enabled me to help Mums overcome the barriers that hold them back and discover what it is that truly motivates them. It is by helping to motivate others that I have found my own fulfilling and empowering career.

If you are interested in finding out what motivates you at work – please contact me onfiona@inspiredmums.co.uk or visit www.inspiredmums.co.uk

Share this: