What inspires us to change?
Sometimes external circumstances force change on us. I remember feeling horrible on the eve of every first day of school. There was so much change on the horizon, but I didn’t know what that change would look like. No matter what, I didn’t have any control over the fact that summer had come to an end.
Experiencing internal shifts is another way that change can be inevitable for us. Sometimes that process can take a lot longer than if an external factor had caused the change. Having it be a change because of something internal can sometimes be a blessing. And sometimes it’s a curse.
I always had a certain knack for ignoring my internal shifts. My talent was in focusing on what I thought other people would want or expect me to do. But when career burnout drained me of all my energy, I knew I couldn’t ignore the fact that I wasn’t listening to what I wanted any longer. It was time to make a transition.
When I was most uncertain about my career direction, I enjoyed listening to people talk about big changes they had to navigate in their own lives. Although their stories were different in content from mine, it was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one who ever questioned my career choices and dared consider doing something different.
That’s why I wanted to invite my friend Rebecca Jeffreys to share her career transition story with us today. Rebecca has been a professional musician (a flutist, like me!) for most of her career. But something inside her wanted a chance to grow and develop. Rebecca listened to that call and is now a life coach and author. Through her business, Sprouting Healthy Families, LLC, Rebecca helps parents of high functioning autistic children find and maintain their wellbeing.