Have you ever been half way through something and you realize that you need to make a BIG change before you take another step? This happened to me a few months ago. I participated in a leadership inventory and scored in the low 40’s in my current role as Director of Patient & Family Experience for a local hospital. That score is a big fat “F” and I took the test again as a business owner running Coach MKay Companies, LLC – I scored in the 90’s. That was my ‘AHA’ moment – continue to be frustrated and feeling like a failure or shift my thinking and make a change – it was time to shift and change. I began to put a plan in place to re-launch COACH MKay Companies, create more time for my family and follow my passion of speaking and professional development.
So the conversations began… with God, my husband, my colleague in my department and my boss at the hospital. My last day in my current position will be December 31st and I have learned SO much in the last year and a half. There are so many dedicated & intelligent people that work in healthcare – I know that helping people in this industry improve their ability to communicate, lead and relate to others will be part of my path for the future…just not in this role.
So as you look at where you are in your career – are you where you want to be? Do you wake up excited, energized and pumped to take on the challenges of the day? Are you spending quality time with your family and doing the things that you love? Are you leading intentionally with purpose and finding joy and fulfillment along the way? If you answered ‘no’ to some of these questions, I ask you to take a time out to dig down deep in your mind, heart and soul – and ask yourself, “If I could do anything, what would I do?” Ask, “What gets me fired up on a daily basis that I could see myself doing to earn a living or follow a calling?”
Some of us look at our job as a way to make money and live our passion and purpose outside of work. This path offers some to find balance, joy, and contentment. Some of us look at our career as a way to fulfill our passion and purpose and the money comes when our heart, mind and soul are in the right focus.
A participant in a recent speaking event approached me afterwards and shared this on a sheet of paper: “If you don’t like the way something is, change it. If you are unable to change it, change the way you feel about it.” Thank you for those words of wisdom! Cheers to change and making a better grade!