Ah the zen vacation, the year long sabbatical, the parental leave, the short mini-break where you immersed yourself in 4 days at the beach or hiking in the back woods somewhere.

And, now it’s time to head back to work.

Heading back to work can sometimes feel like a mixed bag of emotions no matter if you run your own business or are an employee.

There have been years where I’ve reluctantly gone back (almost in tears), some years when I’ve been indifferent and years where I genuinely looked forward to starting back on Monday morning. Luckily, the latter has been much more often.

Where ever you are…the feelings you have when you’re ’heading back in’ can be telling. We often want to push them aside and get on with it, but did you know that those emotions and feelings hold incredible amounts of information for you?

If you’re feeling reluctant, anxious, dread, uncertainty, sadness, joy, or excitement, there’s information in here not to be shoved aside, but to be experienced and listened to. And then, what to do about that information?

Do you have a vision for where your business will be in the future?

Do you have a sense of what you’re creating through your work and how it contributes?

Do you feel inspired when you think of what’s ahead for your work?

If you don’t have a Vision Statement, I invite you to consider what yours could look like.

If you haven’t yet landed on a Vision - or a written out statement - chances are, it’s somewhere inside you, un-articulated and yet defined.

Let’s look at the benefits of creating a vision statement for your business…

What makes someone successful in their career or business?

If you were to ask several people about their key to success, you'll get a lot of different answers (many of them about strategies and tactics), but what I've noticed is that a few consistent responses tend to surface.

The messages to return are piling up, the billing needs to be done, the meetings have to be booked, the conversations have to happen, let alone the kids need driving somewhere at the end of the day…wait…when will they have time for homework…or practicing their instrument? …and then there’s meal planing….

And then there’s Joy.

When do I have time for that?

Everyone has their own way of navigating career twists and turns.

However, there are some common themes (and mistakes) I’ve noticed that, if avoided, could actually improve your opportunities or make career changes more successful (and easier) for you.

It can happen to any of us, getting to that point in our career where we don’t know what to do next. And then suddenly, that lack of direction can turn into the feeling of being stuck.

I find the tipping point in going from ‘exploring options’ to ‘stuck’ is when we let fear drive the ‘career path’ bus.

Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

When I read this quote, I thought about how it could be applied to one’s career, especially if you are at a stage where you’re considering making changes or getting clearer on your career direction.

It's knowing what needs to be done in your business or in your career, but you just can't make yourself do it….

Often I hear from clients that come to see me is that they feel 'stuck'. They feel stuck in their job or career and they have no idea what to do about it.

Living with intention is a way of tuning into your own desires, needs and goals and not letting yourself be swept away by the goals and desires of others. 

I've been in a number of conversations with professionals/business owners who want better for themselves - who are striving to put their talents and skills to better or more constructive use, who want to feel fulfilled each day, or who want to step into their own leadership skills and lead with confidence.