Being authentic today is easier said than done, as we’re forever pushed and pulled in different directions. It’s so easy to get knocked off course as a variety of challenges come at us from many angles. Karen and I honed in on one aspect of this, the changing phases of our lives.
As a linguist who speaks Russian Karen traveled regularly to Russia for work. However, when she started a family she felt her itinerary was incompatible with her new role as a mother.
Time to reset the compass.
She switched to working in the world of patents but, in time, found the mostly male environment uncompromising to the demands of a young family. She was determined to find a way to make her business fit in with her model of motherhood.
Another course to plot.
Karen evolved into business coaching, organised in a way that accommodated her new life. Finding she had the gift for doing just that, she began passing on what she’d learned to other mums. She showed them how to build something that didn’t pull them in two opposing directions.
Then as her children grew up, pressure started to build from the other end of the family. Her parents needed her time and care.
Time to reset her coordinates for the next leg of her journey.
Today Karen helps service providers get their marketing funnels working. Part of her Uniquely Compelling Quality (“UCQ”) is the ability to make things work. This allows her to help others navigate the complexity that we all face.
When I asked her about the main challenge her clients face, she said it’s usually at the offer stage because people get so caught up in their process and features. As she pointed out these have a time and a place but it’s after the prospective buyer has seen something irresistible and for that, they first need to understand what the offer means to them.
We would do well to adopt the same approach with our innate gifts.
Our UCQ is the energetic expression of the coming together of our collective gifts, it’s the combination of the different facets that go into making us uniquely who we are. However, identifying what we have is just the first step. We have to also think about how best to apply those gifts. It's important to put our ladder up against the right wall and then be clear about the value they bring. If we want others to benefit from them, they need to know what our gifts will do for them.
Karen understood that there was also a further step.
The creative process can be broken down into three component parts: the outcome we desire, a clear understanding of our current reality, and the action steps needed to get from where we are to where we want to be.
In constantly readapting how she applied her gifts to make sure they dovetailed into the demands life placed upon her, Karen recognized that our current reality is ever-changing. She saw the importance of adapting and, furthermore, that our creative visions can, and regularly do, collide and compete for our attention. When they do, it’s not just about being clear on our priorities but also having the space to focus on the job at hand.
When we’re being the best parents we can be, we should be just that. When we work, give 100% to that. Otherwise, we get pulled in different directions and our impact is diluted and compromised. However, to achieve that can mean changing the job we do or the environment we’re in. Equally, whether parenting, working, or caring, do it in our own unique way because we’re designed to be at our most effective when we harness our innate gifts.
Karen can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karengrill1/
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