Who do you trust with your career?

When you give a 5-year-old a hair trimmer, you know what trust means!

Amateur hair-dressing runs in the family (see my Oops post at the end).

I always cut my son’s hair – it stands to reason he wants to have a go at mine.

He cannot cut himself or me with the guard on – he can change settings so a big patch can carve out a new style (help!) or chop through my crucifix chain or rip out an ear ring – so trust is definitely present! I trust him.

I trust my son even at 5-years-old having a go at being a barber. I trust my son when he is having a go at bricklaying or wallpaper stripping or parking my car. How else can a child get a sense of potential things they can achieve in life if we do not provide the opportunities. He can do whatever he wants for a career in the future! And best of all he will trust himself.

Our own beliefs really shape how our careers go. Those who feel like they cannot do something different end up doing the same. Those who feel like that cannot take a risk never go beyond the self-imposed limits. Those who feel like they can make anything work rise to the challenge. Those who believe they can change and do something new end up with a career change.

Working on mindset is a commitment. It is an investment built on backing yourself and having the trust in yourself to succeed.

The misconception is that you have to do that alone.

Wrong.

You can work on your own mindset. You can be reflective and open to challenges. But you cannot coach yourself. Coaching needs to come from another perspective in order to really provide the right questions to get deep insights. Coaching draws out the things you don’t notice – you cannot improve what you don’t see. A lot of successful people have had a coach or mentor to get to where they are now. It is not a solo journey.