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Wrong Field? Wrong Place? Is It Me? What To Change When It Feels Bad at Work.

I heard this the other day, and I realize I’ve heard something like it many times:

I can’t tell if I should stick it out at this job or look for something new? It’s only been a couple years and it took so much to get here, so maybe I’ll just get better at it? But I’m so drained…”

I’m just gonna tell you like it is, like what I told her.

If you feel drained, something needs to change. That won’t go away if nothing changes.

Especially after a couple years in her case, that’s enough data to know something is off. The body doesn’t lie.

Change doesn’t have to mean you leave that job. There could be a middle ground between just stay the course as is, and leave. But for sure something needs to change in this case. I’ll say it again. The body knows.

I’ll explain how to figure it out in this post. It could be easier than you think. Continue reading →

Work that Helps the “Greater Good”? How About Good for Your Well-being at the Same Time?

By Val Nelson - Coach for Introverts

So many people don’t know the right direction for their work in the world, for their career or business. Not to mention confusion around how it fits in with the Greater Good.

I love that some people are asking the question about serving in a meaningful way. Yet I know they worry about how to do good work without overwhelm, or whether they can actually find or create meaningful work that can also meet their needs for income and rest.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find the overlap between feeling good for you and your needs, and feeling good for the needs of the Greater Good, all together? That’s what I call the “Best Use of You”. It feels great, not draining.

Work can feel great. And it should if it’s truly the best use of you.

I have found ways that work, for me, and the way I came to it seems to also work for others, even in many different circumstances. We are finding ways to serve the Greater Good in our work, without overwhelm. I’ll explain. Continue reading →

From Good Girl to Fighting for the Greater Good. Let’s Be Paradigm Shifters, Together.

By Val Nelson - Coach for Introverts

This is a funny combo of quiet and outspoken, and I know I’m not the only one:

I’m a recovering “good girl” who now openly questions the insane harmful systems that dominate around the globe.

In other words, when I was younger, I used to be too quiet in an attempt to seem “good” and to stay safe (beyond the normal level of the positive quiet of introverts).

Now my desire for the Greater Good is winning out, and I’ve become more outspoken, more and more each year.

I am determined to be part of moving from the dominant broken paradigm (money-driven and violent) to a life-affirming, nature-centric paradigm.

I know. It’s a long journey from here to there but I am finding it joyful along the way, whenever I turn in that direction. It’s way better on this road than the old crumbling one. Especially when I connect with kindred spirits.

This “New” Paradigm Is Our Ancestral Heritage

This Triskele is an ancient symbol found in Ireland and other places in Europe, most likely about natural rhythms of the seasons.

A nature-centric world view is what research has shown me is the true ancestral heritage of all humans.

No wonder it feels so much more true to my own nature. No wonder so many are drawn to it.

This true nature paradigm has been alive all along, sometimes in the shadows and in Indigenous cultures around the globe, and it is expanding, despite pressures against it.

I’ll share more of what I mean about what’s unfolding, why it’s hard, and what can help. Continue reading →

Video Interview: My Inside View on Career and Business for Introverts

By Val Nelson - Coach for Introverts

I was interviewed last month about my work. It was a fun conversation. You can watch our intimate conversation here.

We got into a lot of deep topics about making career choices, how self-employment can work for caring introverts, how I deal with some of my challenges, as well as things I’m really passionate about.

I’m amazed at how much of my interests and philosophy we were able to cover. I’ve got the video for you here. Continue reading →

How To Sense When It’s the Right Career Path, or Not.

By Val Nelson - Coach for Introverts

The key to knowing when it’s the right career or business path for you is to follow what feels True to you. Anything else leads to burnout at some point. Burnout is the worst.

But following your Truth? Hmm, that can be confusing and hard to do, huh? I didn’t know how to do that for many years. And yep, I burned out.

I’ve discovered that part of why it’s hard to sense what’s right for us is that most of us are focusing on what’s going wrong (because that’s how the brain works).

So then we miss the small signs of what is going right or what we could build on to make things even better.

It’s like a big blind spot. But we can get around it.

I explain a shortcut for knowing the right direction in this post.

Continue reading →