I love your crab and dolphin experiences - how wonderful!!!
What you describe is the skill of a consultant. Consultants are excited to start a new project, uncover solutions and maybe stay to implement them. They may stay for a second iteration, but will not typically be involved in maintenance. I say this as a consultant. Boredom is a killer for me. Give me the excitement of a new challenge. Other consultants I know have expressed the same sentiment.
Thanks Cathy! My early animal adventures were quite unbelievable. I think it's one of the reasons I love being out in nature so much.
I've actually been working as a consultant since 2017 because, like you, I figured out that was the best way to globally describe myself and to ensure I had a balance of hard work and new challenges. I'm less talking about what I call myself and more trying to figure out how to answer the question of what I do. What is at the root of ALL of the work I'm drawn to? I know it in my gut when I'm not interested in a job or project, but what is my gut being pulled *towards*? Hope that makes sense. It's a weird distinction, but one I've been struggling with a bunch lately, especially since adding ghostwriting to my project list!
Ahhh...thank you for that clarification. What if the root of what you do is not a job title? I can tell you that my corporate career has been in Talent Management and I love it because it allows me to go deep in multiple areas - recruiting, goals and performance, learning and development, and more. But I'd have to say that my taproot is strength-based change. That's my passion. That is what connects everything I have done as both an employee and consultant - and everything I currently do including writing on Substack.
That's exactly what I'm looking to uncover...the taproot...like your "strength-based change"! To date, I have a lot of skills and have done a lot of jobs and have even more interests, and while I can talk a good game of the thread that connects them all, I don't feel it. That's what I'm after...what's underneath all of that that lights me up?
I have a friend who is the most incredible career coach. She is all about uncovering what people are passionate about and has a gift for connecting the dots of the past to frame the present. I'll be happy to reach out to her if you are interested. Sometimes, we are just too close to see what's there.
I really enjoy your wonderful writing. I really loved your dolphin and crab interactions. I'm thinking, like Cathy, that you have the making of a consultant. I'm curious as to what your digging will find.
Your wanting to be a marine biologist reminds me of the dream I had for years: becoming a veterinarian. I even volunteered at an animal hospital for years, watching surgeries, doing lab work, and scooping waste. I eventually became disenamored of it because dealing with vicious cats and dogs was difficult mentally. But I stuck with it.
Until I started college and fell in love with freshman English. I decided I would become a writer and a college instructor -- and I did! It's weird how one dream was the antithesis of the other.
Anyway, keep exploring what moves you and what feeds your soul.
Thanks Beth. I've actually been working as a consultant since 2017, and like I shared with Cathy, it's less about what I call myself professionally and more about what's at the root of the work I'm drawn to. A small, but important distinction.
I love your original dream of becoming a veterinarian and how Freshman English and your humanitarian nature may have shifted that for you. I wonder if you've ever written about animals or human's relationship with them?
I used to write stories of animals when I was a kid, but you've given me an idea. I think in a future post, I will write about this desire to become a veterinarian and how that morphed into being an English major. Quite a difference.
And you are right: what we call ourselves professionally can be different than what we want to do.
I love your crab and dolphin experiences - how wonderful!!!
What you describe is the skill of a consultant. Consultants are excited to start a new project, uncover solutions and maybe stay to implement them. They may stay for a second iteration, but will not typically be involved in maintenance. I say this as a consultant. Boredom is a killer for me. Give me the excitement of a new challenge. Other consultants I know have expressed the same sentiment.
Enjoy exploring your roots!! 💕
Thanks Cathy! My early animal adventures were quite unbelievable. I think it's one of the reasons I love being out in nature so much.
I've actually been working as a consultant since 2017 because, like you, I figured out that was the best way to globally describe myself and to ensure I had a balance of hard work and new challenges. I'm less talking about what I call myself and more trying to figure out how to answer the question of what I do. What is at the root of ALL of the work I'm drawn to? I know it in my gut when I'm not interested in a job or project, but what is my gut being pulled *towards*? Hope that makes sense. It's a weird distinction, but one I've been struggling with a bunch lately, especially since adding ghostwriting to my project list!
Ahhh...thank you for that clarification. What if the root of what you do is not a job title? I can tell you that my corporate career has been in Talent Management and I love it because it allows me to go deep in multiple areas - recruiting, goals and performance, learning and development, and more. But I'd have to say that my taproot is strength-based change. That's my passion. That is what connects everything I have done as both an employee and consultant - and everything I currently do including writing on Substack.
That's exactly what I'm looking to uncover...the taproot...like your "strength-based change"! To date, I have a lot of skills and have done a lot of jobs and have even more interests, and while I can talk a good game of the thread that connects them all, I don't feel it. That's what I'm after...what's underneath all of that that lights me up?
I have a friend who is the most incredible career coach. She is all about uncovering what people are passionate about and has a gift for connecting the dots of the past to frame the present. I'll be happy to reach out to her if you are interested. Sometimes, we are just too close to see what's there.
Thank you for the offer! I actually won a free session with a business coach and have that scheduled for early June, so let’s see what we uncover!
Excellent!! 💝
Jess can't wait for your shovel to dig up through those roots! You got this! 🌹🌹🌹
Thank you luv. It's time to find out what's at the center. I've uncovered most of the periphery, but the core is still a mystery.
Hi Jess,
I really enjoy your wonderful writing. I really loved your dolphin and crab interactions. I'm thinking, like Cathy, that you have the making of a consultant. I'm curious as to what your digging will find.
Your wanting to be a marine biologist reminds me of the dream I had for years: becoming a veterinarian. I even volunteered at an animal hospital for years, watching surgeries, doing lab work, and scooping waste. I eventually became disenamored of it because dealing with vicious cats and dogs was difficult mentally. But I stuck with it.
Until I started college and fell in love with freshman English. I decided I would become a writer and a college instructor -- and I did! It's weird how one dream was the antithesis of the other.
Anyway, keep exploring what moves you and what feeds your soul.
Thanks Beth. I've actually been working as a consultant since 2017, and like I shared with Cathy, it's less about what I call myself professionally and more about what's at the root of the work I'm drawn to. A small, but important distinction.
I love your original dream of becoming a veterinarian and how Freshman English and your humanitarian nature may have shifted that for you. I wonder if you've ever written about animals or human's relationship with them?
Hi Jess,
I used to write stories of animals when I was a kid, but you've given me an idea. I think in a future post, I will write about this desire to become a veterinarian and how that morphed into being an English major. Quite a difference.
And you are right: what we call ourselves professionally can be different than what we want to do.
I loved this post.
Thank you, Beth. I'm so excited to read your morphing post! I love when one good idea begets another.