As a Career Consultant, I have been experiencing some heaviness lately when it comes to
supporting and providing services to my clients. As we enter the final quarter of what would be one of the most historic years in modern times, many of us still do not know what the actual fudge is going on. There is so much more uncertainty than ever before. We have so much more unanswered questions than we initially did. One of the main objectives in my profession is to ultimately help my clients land that career opportunity or goal. To do so, I am responsible for providing all the resources, strategies, advice, guidance, and support within my capabilities to ensure that my client is equipped enough to grab that career goal with both hands. This year and in particular, these past few months, my objective hasn’t changed, the “how-I-do-it” hasn’t changed (that much), but the outcomes are vastly different. I have realized that I can make a valuable effort to provide my client with the resources, tools, and knowledge to achieve that career goal, but I have no control over the attainability or even the availability of that career goal given the circumstances we find ourselves in today. This is where my heaviness lies. Look- pursuing a career, putting yourself out of your comfort zone and exhausting all your time, energy, resources in trying to achieve a career goal is already an overwhelming and taxing experience. Trying to do so in a global pandemic?? Well that overwhelming and taxing feeling increases tenfold. I feel that mostly everyday in the interactions with my clients. Now, we can most definitely harp on the global pandemic and what could have been done to avoid or better withstand the challenges that come with it. But I am not here to talk about that. I am here to tell you something that needs to be heard; something that we ought to be telling others frequently. Imagine if I, as a career consultant, is experiencing hardships in achieving my main objective of helping my clients land career opportunities; can you begin to fathom what my clients are feeling? I am hurting for them but my hurt is insignificant compared to what they are experiencing. And sadly, because there are numerous things that are totally out of our control, I am not sure what I can do to help. I know that I can help and the desire to help is even more profound than it was ever before; yet I just don’t know where to begin. After some reflection, I decided to lean more into my empathy as a call-of-action… The first step I want to take to help is to say these words, words that I genuinely and empathetically mean- I get it. I understand. I empathize with you. I may not know the severity, the extremities, the finer or holistic details of your story, of your current season, but I can understand, empathize, and share what you are feeling, experiencing, and dealing with. We are living in a plague of uncertainty. I know what that feels like, I have had to ride that wave of uncertainty myself too often. We weren’t prepared for this. I know that this is challenging; regardless of if you are trying to achieve or attain that career goal, have just started that career goal, or are still trying to motivate yourself to get started. It is such a mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually trying time for all of us and it looks different for each and every one of us but I just wanted to say these words to you, nothing more; nothing less- “I get it, I understand, I empathize with you.” CW
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Chad T Wallace“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” Archives
October 2020
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