I have the privilege of meeting and getting to know a lot of amazing women through my work as the Regional Leader of Lean In Newry and an #IamRemarkable workshop facilitator. Now, as a Female Career Coach I didn’t want to assume that I knew what my potential clients are going through in their unique career journeys. So, I embarked on some in-depth client research. The results of which were enlightening but not surprising.

Below are the top 5 responses to the question ‘what is your biggest challenge in your career’?

1. Self-limiting beliefs and they show up as:

a. the belief that you are not capable of anything more than what you have achieved

b. a lack of confidence in demonstrating abilities and making your achievements known

c. a belief that your accomplishments and hard work will be recognized and then rewarded

d. the belief that you will be ‘found out’, even with evidence to show you deserve to be there, i.e. Imposter Syndrome

e. the belief that it’s too late to change.

2. Being boxed in – not having support or that all important mentor to help you progress can leave many females feeling discouraged, undervalued and unfulfilled. This then leads to a loss of confidence fuelling the self-limiting beliefs mentioned above.

3. Lack of job satisfaction – when you are unchallenged and derive little satisfaction from a good day’s work, you lose your drive and motivation. Left unchecked, you will grow unhappy, frustrated and feel worthless. Even though you know you can achieve more, those pesky self-limiting beliefs begin to rear their fearsome heads and knock you back even further.

4. Misalignment of values – as our lives change so do our values. Females with caring responsibilities may value flexibility, other females may value professional development, or both. When your values are not aligned to that of an organisation or a manager, you can feel internal stress, conflict and dissatisfaction with your career.

When asked, ‘if I eliminated all of the above, what would the effects be?’ The women responded with such energy, citing;

‘I would be allowed to be creative’

‘I would rebuild my confidence’

‘I would continue to grow’

‘I would be happier in all aspects of life’

‘I would give more to role and organisation’

‘It would be liberating’

If you are alive, it’s not too late. You have time to change what is holding you back from your true potential and pursue the career you want. A career coach can help you with all of the above challenges, disrupting your current behaviour pattern and help you think through new opportunities and possibilities.

You have the potential to achieve anything you want!