Have you ever been at a crossroads, sensing your career's impending sunset, yet felt frozen in place? Jillian Adams didn't stand still – she sprinted ahead. As we unravel her journey, we'll explore how taking the reins of her own fate before a company acquisition could redefine her role, Jillian chose to proactively seek new horizons. This chief marketing officer's tale, straight from the Mindful in 5 book series, is a masterclass in career mindfulness and aligning one's professional pursuits with personal values.
Throughout Jillian's example, we uncover the empowerment and confidence that come from initiating change rather than reacting to it.
Our conversation meanders through the psychological perks of proactive career steps, from bolstering resilience to enhancing problem-solving skills – key components for thriving in today's dynamic job landscape.
Moreover, we examine how such forward-thinking actions can position professionals like Jillian as visionary leaders in their field, making them more visible to those poised to offer the next big break. Tune in for an inspiring narrative that might just be the catalyst you need for your own professional leap forward.
Have you ever been at a crossroads, sensing your career's impending sunset, yet felt frozen in place? Jillian Adams didn't stand still – she sprinted ahead. As we unravel her journey, we'll explore how taking the reins of her own fate before a company acquisition could redefine her role, Jillian chose to proactively seek new horizons. This chief marketing officer's tale, straight from the Mindful in 5 book series, is a masterclass in career mindfulness and aligning one's professional pursuits with personal values.
Throughout Jillian's example, we uncover the empowerment and confidence that come from initiating change rather than reacting to it.
Our conversation meanders through the psychological perks of proactive career steps, from bolstering resilience to enhancing problem-solving skills – key components for thriving in today's dynamic job landscape.
Moreover, we examine how such forward-thinking actions can position professionals like Jillian as visionary leaders in their field, making them more visible to those poised to offer the next big break. Tune in for an inspiring narrative that might just be the catalyst you need for your own professional leap forward.
Hello and welcome to Mindful in 5, helping you discover your peaceful path. I'm your host, spiwa Jefferson, author of the Mindful in 5 book series. Many of us linger in our comfort zones, allowing circumstances to dictate the next steps in our careers. Dictate the next steps in our careers. Sometimes we even sit there and watch as the season, in a roll, slithers from day to dusk into dark, but have you ever wondered what could unfold if you chose to take proactive steps instead? Welcome to Mindful in 5, where we dive deep into how mindfulness can transform not just your personal life, but your professional life too. Today's episode is titled Better to Jump Than Be Pushed, focused on the immense benefits of being proactive and taking charge of your career path. To help us meet Jillian Adams, one of the 12 members of the Mindful in 5 support group depicted in the first book in the series Mindful in 5 Meditations for People with no Time Pick up your copy at any online book retailer. Jillian is a hard-charging, aggressive chief marketing officer at a mid-sized company that was recently acquired. Jillian can see that her role will likely be eliminated, but rather than waiting for the inevitable, she embarks on her job search now to get a jump on the process.
Speaker 1:
In our careers, just as in life, waiting too long in a comfort zone can lead to being pushed out before we're ready. This can be unsettling, not just emotionally, but also for our professional growth. Oftentimes, by the time we start thinking of jumping, that comfort zone might not be so comfortable after all. That comfort zone might not be so comfortable after all. Maybe there are fissures in the foundation of what we thought was a wonderful opportunity, and maybe it was a wonderful opportunity. But over time, as you outgrow that opportunity or you outgrow that season in your life, maybe you start to see signs that it's time to move on to your next adventure. In Jillian's case, being proactive about her career trajectory not only places her in the driver's seat, but also aligns her professional life with her personal aspirations and values. Jillian has another reason for wanting to start her job hunt early. She is Chinese American and her ethnicity has sometimes resulted in experiences with potential hiring managers that made her choose not to work for certain companies. So she is selective and therefore needs to build in extra time. So what are the emotional benefits of jumping rather than being pushed?
Speaker 1:
Taking proactive steps in your career can lead to increased feelings of confidence and empowerment. When you actively make choices about your next steps, you are more likely to feel in control and less likely to feel like a victim of circumstance. Feel in control and less likely to feel like a victim of circumstance. This sense of empowerment fosters resilience, a key trait that helps professionals navigate the ups and downs of career life with a serene and steadfast attitude From a scientific and psychological standpoint. From a scientific and psychological standpoint, being proactive is linked to positive mental health outcomes. Studies have shown that individuals who engage in proactive behaviors are less likely to suffer from stress and anxiety. This is because proactive individuals typically anticipate potential challenges and prepare for them ahead of time, which reduces uncertainty and the stress associated with it. Engaging in proactive behavior also enhances your problem solving skills and adaptability, making you more resilient and less likely to feel overwhelmed by change.
Speaker 1:
One of the things I talked about in a previous episode about optimism is the fact that people who are optimistic aren't just born that way, but optimism can be a learned behavior and a learned skill whose foundational core is having a credible plan of action and then executing on that plan. You will find a couple of links in the notes for this episode to the conversations that I have had about optimism with a guest of mine named Brent. Now let's talk about the career benefits. Now let's talk about the career benefits. Being proactive about your career can lead to more opportunities for advancement. Taking initiatives such as seeking new projects, learning new skills, building a professional network, you position yourself as a driven and visionary member of your team. This can catch the eye of higher management and lead you to promotions and leadership roles faster than if you were to passively wait for opportunities to come to you. Even if the thing you're jumping into is, for example, requesting a raise, you might be better off proactively establishing a foundation for that conversation rather than waiting and hoping that somebody your leader, your supervisor at some point in the future might come to see your potential and think why I think I should give my employee a raise Rather than waiting, you can take proactive steps.
Speaker 1:
For example, you can take a look at if you are in a role where you have to generate revenue. You can take a look at how you've done over the past let's call it three to five years and if you have been successful in increasing the bottom line and the revenue of your department or your company, maybe you can take that year-on-year growth that you have been specifically responsible for and put those numbers in front of your boss and use that as a launch point for a conversation about your compensation. Moreover, taking charge of your career path before being pushed ensures that you are making moves that truly align with your personal goals and aspirations. This alignment is crucial for long-term job satisfaction and success. You want to go, and mapping out the steps to get there, you ensure that each career move is a step towards a more fulfilling professional life. So how can you start? Begin by setting clear, focused goals where you want to be in the next year, three years and five years. Regularly evaluate your skills and how they match up with your career aspirations. Stay curious and committed to learning. This could mean taking courses that enhance your skills or attending seminars and workshops that expand your knowledge, maybe just staying up on the latest technology.
Speaker 1:
In the wake of the AI boom in the current iteration of it that we as consumers know it, I was really interested and curious to understand how AI worked. What started as a curiosity evolved into experimenting really early in the days of ChatGPT, and that evolved into finding all kinds of use cases for me in my daily life that evolved further into me becoming a certified prompt engineer through a course that I found that was created by Vanderbilt University, and as a prompt engineer, that simply unlocked more avenues and ways that I was able to use this technology primarily for these podcasts to increase my efficiency in all of the behind the scenes work that goes into putting together a podcast episode, and it also helps me in my daily work life in just being able to increase my efficiency in some of the tasks that I undertake, in some of the tasks that I undertake, and so these are ways that I have increased my productivity and reduced the amount of time I spend doing administrative tasks that nobody would have done for me anyway and that, frankly, I'm not that excited about. I'm excited about talking to you about how mindfulness, how you can leverage the power of mindfulness and meditation to increase your productivity, your clarity, your peace and reduce stress. I'm not that excited in the background logistics of podcast editing right, and so the more that I can use technology to help me with those kinds of tasks, the more I can focus on the things that I really care about and the things that, frankly, really matter to people who are listening, like my mindful ninjas in this moment. So remember, in your career it's better to jump than to be pushed. I would rather jump into learning about a new technology than waiting until somebody pushes and forces me to learn it. By being proactive, you not only safeguard your current position but also open doors to new and exciting opportunities.
Speaker 1:
Because I became a prompt engineer, I was invited to talk about it to my fellow attorneys and HR professionals.
Speaker 1:
So at an upcoming I don't know if it'll be upcoming by the time this episode airs, but right about this time I will be presenting an entire continuing legal education workshop on how to leverage large language models to increase your productivity in your day-to-day life.
Speaker 1:
That opportunity comes at a moment when I get to be on the faculty of a really huge and well-known organization called Minnesota. Continuing Legal Education and being on the faculty is something that I value, because it allows me to teach others and teach people about things that I have learned in my profession that are useful to them. It also allows me to sharpen my own skills, because it is one thing to learn it, it is another thing to have to repeat it and it's another thing entirely to teach other people. It just sharpens my own sword, and it allows me to sharpen my colleagues as well, and so these are the opportunities that come when you jump and don't wait until you are pushed. It's about making mindful, intentional choices today that will support your professional journey tomorrow. So, in conclusion, thank you for tuning in to Mindful in 5 today. Keep taking bold, intentional steps towards a career that feels as fulfilling as it is successful, until next week. This is Biwe saying be mindful and be well. This is Spiwe saying be mindful and be well.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from spiwejeffersoncom, or unsigned copies from Amazon, barnes, noble or wherever you get your books. Visit spiwejeffersoncom to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.