In the present economic climate and political atmosphere, I find myself wishing all politicians would go to sleep in the time honoured pantomime fashion to be woken by a kiss some good time hence!

I feel that none of us have been allowed to find our balance - whether personally or commercially – because there is always someone wanting to control us. 

Perhaps that’s just me but I sense that I am not alone.  Most people are seeking a degree of control over their lives and the ability to choose their own destiny.
 
I have recently been reading through letters and e-mails from clients and thinking back over all my years of working with individuals on their careers.  The same issues have come through time and again – especially in the difficult economic times of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. 

These issues are largely related to talents (perhaps hidden) and how we can apply them.

Many clients are individuals who choose to come under their own steam.  Their motivation is usually frustration for some reason.  It may be a feeling of unfulfilled (und usually undefined) potential or a feeling of being stuck and having no choices. 

The understanding of your talents is central to feeling that you do have choices. 

We have always been confident that every individual has talent – whether they use it in a formal way through their work and / or in informal ways through hobbies, sport, arts, music, archaeology, creative writing etc.

So an important part of the process I take people through is to identify their talents and then look at the choices those might lead to.  And I usually do this first because until we understand the talents we want to engage we have no criteria for choice.

However, I am very pragmatic and aware of constraints and of the risks involved in change. So any potential choices need to be evaluated carefully and researched thoroughly.

The key is to tap into that energy that is blocked - that stuck feeling – so that the research and exploration becomes interesting.

There is awakening here but it’s not a fairy story!

I would be interested in any ‘war stories’ that you might like to tell - post a comment below, send an e-mail or just give me a call.

Jo Ouston
December 2009