Mindsets Determine Outcomes

You have the power to change your assumptions and beliefs that keep you from moving forward and living the life you want.

People are often stuck in their own minds.

I used to believe that job security was my top priority. I thought that I needed a stable income and my goal was financial security over wellbeing. My strategy was to keep the job I had despite I was unhappy. My action was to perform well at the job and the outcome was that I had the same job for 17 years.

This strategy served me well as long as the work environment was desirable during the first 15 years. However, when the work environment changed towards the end, I was suffering and it was a real dilemma for me because I did not have a new strategy to deal with the change.

I took this to a coaching session and my coach said something like this to me, " If you remain in this job, you can earn a lot of money. If you quit, you can be free to find new opportunities. These choices are neither good nor bad, it depends on what you want."

I decided to leave that job because I believe that mental well-being is more important than money. I believe that a job is only a means to fulfill a bigger purpose. I need to be true to my own values and my goal was to find another job where I can align my values with the organisational values and its practices. My strategy was to resign and explore other job opportunities.

During that time, there was an opportunity for me to apply for funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to conduct research in the UK. I applied for the funding and conducted my first AHRC research in 2015.

My research topic was about the importance of self-learning for musicians. I found out that 99% of musicians in the UK have a "portfolio career". They develop a range of skillsets and have portfolios of jobs that reinforce each other. For example, one of the musicians I interviewed played in a band, lead a youth music programme, and taught music in a community college. Each of these practices informs each other and she feels more satisfied because each job gives her the opportunity to apply and develop different skills. The structure of her career is sustainable and strong because it is reinforced by multiple jobs that support each other.

Inspired by these own research findings, I examined my own career and realised that I could have further diversified my career because I had a passion for arts and humanities. My artistic career was well-developed and I could futher develop the humanities side of my career.

After becoming an accreditated coach in 2015. I kept coaching as a side hustle while teaching music in more schools and leading more community music groups. In 2018, in a leadership position, I used my coaching skills to help my organisation manage a major crisis and kept the organisation from being shut down by the government. I discovered my interest in mediation and become an international accreditated professional mediator.

Fast track to 2021, I became the Managing Director of the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management UK Centre and the Regional Coordinator of the Greater China and Canada Regions for the Coaching Association. These jobs fulfill my humanities interest and strengthen my new belief that mental well-being is more important than money.

Life is not perfect and it keeps changing. So our beliefs and assumptions need to be updated regularly, so we can deal with changes effectively and do get stuck in our own minds.