What’s it like to take evening classes while working full time to expand your career options? In this episode of Career Relaunch, Chris Donovan, a former telephone repairman turned high-end women’s shoe designer, shares his thoughts on doing work that’s authentic to who you are and how to deal with being an outlier when you’re pursuring a new career path. Afterwards, during today’s Mental Fuel, I’ll talk about being who you are, but doing it in a way that still allows you to resonate with the right people.

Key Career Insights

1. Stability is nice, but at some point, you have to decide whether that stability is fulfilling enough for you.
2. You are always going to face obstacles when you’re starting down a new path. You just have to keep talking to more people to figure out away around those obstacles. You can’t give up because you never know when you’re going to stumble upon the right person who can open a door for you.
3. Fear and excitement are related feelings, especially when you’re doing something you never thought you would be doing. Face it. Embrace it.

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Listener Challenge

During this episode’s Mental Fuel segment, I talked about the importance of identifying one aspect of your personality that could serve you well in getting there. I call this a personality asset. What’s one part of who you are that you’ve maybe been holding back, for WHATEVER reason, but could actually benefit from showcasing? I want you to give yourself permission to let it shine. For some help in articulating the various aspects of who you are, you can download my “Personal Branding Starter” worksheet.