Ep #162: Viewing Your Career as a Series of Problems to Solve

Welcome to the Get a Six-Figure Job You Love and Thrive podcast. This is episode 162, Viewing Your Career as a Series of Problems to Solve. Stay tuned. Welcome to the Get a Six-Figure Job You Love and Thrive podcast, where I, Natalie Fisher, am teaching you weekly how to land your premium role that you love and thrive in it. Let's go. Hello. Hello. How's it going this week? Awesome. I am doing amazing. So I'm gearing up for the live training that we're doing August 23rd, 24th, 25th. It's called Creating Certainty in Your Career. It's a 3, actually 4-day live training where we're going to cover all the very specific aspects that have blocked my clients in the past, helped them to move forward and create the career certainty. That everybody wants. And it's possible, but it's within you. It doesn't come from outside of you. So that's what I want to start with today, viewing your career as a series of problems to solve. So why we kind of don't see it this way is because we see the problems as unsolvable. A lot of the problems that people give me are things that you wouldn't be able to change because they're what I call circumstances. And a circumstance isn't something that we can do anything about. What we can do is change how we think about the particular circumstance and how we think about it is all we really need control over so that we can actually create a different outcome for ourselves. So I talked last week about how I did a poll to ask people why they thought they didn't have the job they wanted yet. And you can apply this to any results. So if you're already in a job and you come tune into my podcast and you're not a job seeker at the moment, You can apply it to any problem you're having. So why do you not have the result that you want yet? Right? Answer that question. That's a very powerful question. Is your guess for why that's the case is a very big clue as to how you move forward in getting it? Okay, that has been huge for me, and I always ask myself that. Very honest with myself. I'm like, okay, why don't I have that yet? And The answers that I'm used to giving myself now are answers that I can change, things that I can do, things that I can control, right? And they have to be because if they're not, then I might as well just sit down, put my feet up and be like, eh, it's helpless, right? So here's the problem. People think that it is something out of their control most of the time. And if it's not, then they don't actually do that incremental work to figure out how to fix it because it's normally going to take more than one try to Really dig deep and really discover what it is that is the problem. So I like to think of it as a problem-solving activity. And the thing that I like about this is when we view it as a problem-solving activity, you are a master problem solver. I can point to so many times, like if we were having a one-on-one conversation and I asked you, tell me about a time you solved a problem that no one else could solve, or tell me about a time you came up with an idea to solve something that no one else thought of, you are going to have an answer to that. Okay. Like even if you can't think of it right now, I guarantee you that you do. Okay. From coaching enough people, I can get it out of anybody. So we see it as something outside of us and that's what the problem is, right? So 2 categories here of problems to solve. Some are going to be completely unsolvable, nothing we can do about it, right? So if I say, okay, why don't you have the job you want yet? And you, you tell me, well, there's just no opportunities available. There's just no, there's just nobody's hiring. Right? That's not a problem you could, in your mind, that you could really do anything about, right? So your brain has already shut down to anything that's open, right? It's already closed the door subconsciously, and it's already saying, okay, yep, there's just nothing right now. And it's probably then saying, well, I gotta wait, I gotta be patient, it takes time, we just have to wait till things get better, blah, blah, blah. Like, that's where your brain is gonna go. If the core root belief is there's just no opportunities available right now, right? So that's one category of problem that could not be solved by your brain no matter what you did, right? So any problem that is something that you can't do anything about is not a useful way to look at it. So another one might be, well, nobody will give me feedback. I don't know. Like, I have no idea why I'm not getting the role that I want because nobody's telling me. I asked the recruiters for feedback. I asked the hiring managers for feedback, but they don't tell me. And so that's another example of a problem that you can't do anything about because if they're not telling you, they're not telling you, right? I do have an episode on when feedback is not available and a very useful way to think about that instead. So I'll get my producer people to put that in the show notes for you. It's called When Feedback Is Not Available and a More Useful Way to Think About That Problem. And I also, I've taken it upon myself because I was in HR and I sat in that room with hundreds of candidates, talked to the hiring managers hundreds of times, debriefed on why they didn't want to hire, right? And I created a course on the 8 reasons why you don't get hired, even though you're getting interviews. And you can get that by leaving me a review and it's worth $97. So that's a problem that there's one step you can take towards if that's what you're thinking. If you're thinking, Well, I don't know. They're not telling me, right? And then another one that I hear often that is not within your control is your age. So a lot of people will tell me, I'm too old, but they're not going to tell me that. That's what they really want to say. They've said something else, but really it's because I'm too old. And that's, that's your belief. And I'm not saying that might not be true. Okay. But that's another category of problem that you can't do anything about, right? You can't change how old you are. So thinking about it that way is another shutting the door to, oh well, I'm too old. Like they just think I'm too old. There's nothing I can do. And I have a lot of clients. I had a client in his 70s and he was being told that it wasn't really the reason. I had Nancy Chan on the podcast. She is, I think she said she was over 50 and she, said that she thought that was her problem. It wasn't. It could be a belief, but I do understand that it is a thing, but I don't know the numbers, right? I couldn't tell you statistically. I also know that I have worked with several people who are a lot older and they fit in great with a different group of people, right? And it wasn't like they were hired for different reasons, right? And I also know that it's about the value, right? So if you come in and you present value, I think what happens is a lot of people who are older, can get very bitter about that belief, the belief of like, I am just too old and they are not going to give me a chance because of that. And that can make you feel bitter and it can make you feel frustrated and angry. And then you show up like that thinking, oh, everybody's just thinking this and that's just what it is. And then you aren't actually showing up with the true value and the true incredible usefulness and wealth of experience that you have to offer. You're not addressing the concerns that they might have underlying. You're not really doing all the things you could be doing because you're having that mentality, right? And I say that all with love, and it's not even an age thing. It could be something else. It could be something completely different. And I have people who come and say they're too young and people won't take them seriously, right? I know for me, for it to be true for my clients, that none of that needs to be a problem. It can be solved, right? Like, we're just, we're talking about solving here. So it's like everything that we do or that we choose to think can be solved. So if you think it's because you're too old, that's coming back on track for this episode. It's, that is a problem that you can't change. So you have to change the way that you think about it. Right? So those are some of the ones. Other problems that people think are the reasons why they don't get hired. Okay? So they think something like, I'm not good at selling myself. I can't convey my value very well. Right? That is a problem that you can solve and that there's a thousand ways to solve it. So this is category number 2. These are problems that are solvable. So if you think, I don't know how to sell myself, I'm not conveying my value strongly enough, then there's a way to convey your value strongly enough. And if you're getting in interviews, if you're getting opportunities, you're getting conversations, it means you're in demand. It means what you do is in demand. It means that you haven't figured out how to present your value in a way where it becomes something that they need now and you haven't done it well enough. Because somebody else has done it better. And it's simple as that, right? That is a great problem and that is easily solvable. And so inside my program, that is what we do every single week is we untangle those problems for people and we dig in and we find it. Another problem is you might think, I don't see anything that interests me, right? You might be like, well, I'm looking at job descriptions and I just don't see anything that I want to apply for. So that is a problem that is within your control because if there's nothing you wanna apply for, then decide what it is that you want and go offer people that value in a myriad of different ways, right? That's another exercise that we do inside my program is we actually break down what it is you wanna do, how you wanna offer value, how that's incredibly useful and profitable for somebody, and then you go offer it, right? It's more of an active approach versus a passive approach, right? So, and the problems as they're presented, they can be pretty passive. It's like, well, I don't know. I don't know. I'm just, I'm not conveying my values strongly enough. I don't know what my value is. I don't see anything that interests me. I just don't know like what I want, right? That's a thing that you can easily solve, right? Another one is I'm submitting lots of applications, but I'm not getting any responses, right? So this is a tricky one because You might think, oh, well, I can't control the responses I'm getting, right? But this is actually a problem that you can solve. And I'm actually working on putting together another course because my 8 Reasons Why You Get Interviews But No Job Offers is so popular and it has landed so many people offers just from going through that course. They make a little switch and then they're like, okay, I get it. I'm going to be preparing one on all the reasons why you submit applications and you don't get responses because there's a lot of those reasons too. And they are very pinpointable reasons. Okay. And it is amazing how like so many people are just submitting, submitting, doing the same thing over and over without realizing that that way is not working. And the answer is not to do more of the same. Okay? That's a very solvable problem. Okay? And then another one, this one actually goes in the other category of the ones you can't do anything about that I hear is, well, everybody's expectations are too unrealistic. Everybody thinks that I should be able to do way more than I can do. No one person can do that. That's unrealistic. Unrealistic, right? So I actually put this in the middle of the two. First of all, yes, some hiring managers have unrealistic expectations. No question. That's true. Some clients have unrealistic expectations. Some like whatever. If you're in a business, if you're a freelancer, if you're looking for full-time employment, it doesn't matter. You're going to run into people in this world who have unrealistic expectations. Okay, and then you're going to run into people who don't. You're going to run into people who have very realistic expectations and are very open to a conversation. conversation about what those expectations look like and seeing that you're on the same page with them, right? So that's a two-parter. It's like, yes, some do, some don't. Your job is to identify the ones that do and quickly just be like, okay, yeah, no, that's not a fit, and move forward to the ones that are open to having a conversation about realistic expectations and what realistic means to you and to them. And ultimately, Having their best interest at heart and wanting to convey the relevant value and deliver that for them, right? And there's so many people like that, right? But if you're thinking they all just have unrealistic expectations, this is just not fair, right? Then again, it's like shutting a door, like shutting a door to yourself, to what you want by thinking that. And you don't know you're doing it, but it clouds your judgment and your view of everything else, right? And it doesn't make you feel very good. It's like if I believed that everybody had an unrealistic expectation of me and that I could never meet it, I would not wanna get up in the morning. That would be very, very depressing and very debilitating and disheartening. And it would be like, what is the point? Right? But no, instead I wake up every morning and I'm like, I'm gonna give my all. I'm gonna find the ways to add value today in the most concise, clearest, best way that I can. And those that are gonna come in are gonna come in, and those who are not are not. Right? And that happens, right? I attract the best people and The same way works for you, right? And I've been doing this for years and years, right? You do it for a few days, focusing on how you're going to create the value, convey the value, deliver the value for your specific target customer, which would be your hiring manager, your employer, whoever it is. You will get very, very good at conveying that value to them. And the right people will be like, oh, great. Yeah, that's what we wanted. Thank you. You said exactly what we needed. Like we're on the same page, but it takes some work figuring out what that looks like. For you and for them, and in a way that you present it that you love, that you feel good about, that you are like dying to get out there and share with people, right? So it's a problem that can be solved for sure, but it's a 2-part problem because first you need to identify that not everybody's like that, right? And you might be thinking subconsciously that like most people are like that, and so you might not put in the effort to create What you're capable of creating for the right people who are out there. And if you don't believe that they are, then yeah, you won't take the action. 'Cause why would you? Why would anybody? Nobody would if they don't think that there's actually somebody out there who has realistic expectation, who wants to work with you to achieve a goal and wants your skills on the problem, your brain on the problem. If you don't believe that, then you won't do the work to find the person, right? And so, Those are the two kind of categories: the problems that you cannot control, and then the problems that you can. And then our first step is to shift to the problems that you can. And then when you feel empowered and you feel in control, like okay, I can solve these problems, I can get help to solve these problems, I'm determined to solve these problems until they're solved, you will solve them, and you will get offers, and you will become an in-demand person. I have one client who. She was like, you know what? I want to start my own business, and she's a marketing expert, and she decided she's going to start her own business. And she she was getting clients. She's getting clients, and she's some of them like in the beginning of business. Sometimes you get clients that are not really aligned, and you're just you want to take you want to sign up clients. You want to build your business, and so she was going through the where she had to kind of let some go because they weren't aligned. And she was also getting opportunities for full-time employment, and she's actually just accepted. A full-time role. And this story was incredible because, so the role that she accepted was somebody who was totally on board with her having her own business. And he was like, you know what? I love that you have your own business because it means you're more results-oriented. And he's like, I had another marketing executive and he was very focused on the activities. He was like, oh, I set up this really cool automation and look at all the things it does. And the CEO was like, That's great, but where are the leads coming in? And what are the results? And what are the numbers? And how is this going to impact our business? But this guy didn't have any connection to that. He was like, "Look at this! All the work I did and all the hours I spent setting up this automation, right?" And so, in the end, he had to let that person go, and he ended up hiring my client, who who was a business owner and results-oriented, and was like, "I am focused on the results because." That's how I think, right? So it's like having an entrepreneurial mindset is is a big asset, and it's funny because we can frame anything into our favor. Some people will say, "Oh, but if you have your own business," they're going to be like, "Well, why are you leaving? Why this?" Or like, "How do I know I can trust you? What? How will you go?" Like, but this guy was like, "No, I love that you have your own business. That's amazing. I love it because that means this, this, and this, and this." And he was making it mean that she was. looking for outcomes and that she was very focused and responsible for outcomes because that's what a business owner has to do instead of thinking. And, and she had met people who were like, oh, well, I don't know, how do I know you're gonna give me full attention for these 2 days a week? And, and she was like, you know what? You don't know, but I am a business owner. This is what I do. I give my word that I will deliver what I say I'm gonna deliver. These are the expectations. Take it or leave it, right? Like, not in a bad way, but just of a confident, grounded, this is who I am way. And there's no room for anybody who doubts me kind of thing. This energy just attracts more high-quality opportunities, and so she ended up accepting this six-figure role with a lot of stock options. She's very excited about the prospect of this company. She says, "You know, if they sell within a couple of years, like that could be her retirement right there." Like so fun, so cool, and it's all because of that mindset, right? Because there are so many people out there who are in marketing who are like, "Oh, there's no opportunities out there. Like it's not working. It's too crowded. It's too competitive. Blah blah blah." And it's like. Those thoughts are what create you seeing that, right? And so you have to be open to that. You have to be open to seeing something differently. And it can be challenging at first, especially if you're very stuck in one way of thinking, you've been seeing that for a long time. So I understand that and it's okay, but those are problems that need to be solved, right? It's like, I believe this, I want to believe this. How do I believe it? How do I start believing it? Right? And it's called a belief plan. You need a belief plan. You need to get to a new belief or your reality won't change, right? Or it will get worse. So that's how we solve problems. So why, obviously why it doesn't work to continue and think that the problems are outside of you. So those problems that I listed that you can't control, that's not gonna work for you. It's not gonna work for anybody because like I said, what would be the point of doing anything if the problems were unsolvable? Right? So we need to clarify, do you think the reason why you don't have your role is because something you can control, or is it because of something that you can't control? Right? And that's gonna be a very key indicator as to how far you've come, the progress you've made, right? And then, so that obviously doesn't work. The alternative solution that is gonna be needed is gonna be looking at the problems in a way that you can solve them, where you can get your mind around it and where you could be like, Even get excited to dig into the problem, right? That's what I do. Like when people come on the coaching calls, I'm like, bring me the problems. Let's do it. Like I love it. So the alternative solution has to be getting your mind on board with a problem that you can solve or give up. That's fine too. Why it works better is pretty self-explanatory because now you feel in control. Now you're like, oh, okay, I can solve this. I can figure this out. And what's my first step, right? It very breaks it up very simply and clearly to be able to do it. Necessary skills. are, you need to have the stick-to-itiveness to decide that you will solve it, right? And just keep going until you solve it, right? And be focused and be committed and be like, have blinders on as to I'm fixing this problem. And that's what I do, right? That's my whole thing is to help you figure it out, right? And I've helped hundreds of people figure it out. Everybody's brain works a little bit differently. We have hundreds of hours of previous coaching calls inside the program that will explain to you exactly how you can see people breaking down their limitations. And how you can see them moving forward and succeeding. So, you have to be willing to do it. You have to be willing to see things differently. You have to be willing to be wrong about what you previously believed. And let me tell you, being wrong is awesome because it means you can actually clear a path to get where you're going. And then, what the results that are created are just a more aligned, a more resilient, a more curious, a more well-wired mind. So that this isn't the only problem that you get good at solving. Because if you can solve this, you can solve anything. We already know you can solve this because you've solved things in the past, but you need to have some collaboration, right? Like solving a problem on your own is a lot harder than having a team to help solve it with you, right? And so I help you in the program. We have everybody who helps and that it's very collaborative and very supportive and everybody can help solve a problem with a different perspective, with a different mindset, with a different point of view, you can literally move so much faster, right? Like it's not just like you're moving like a snail, you're moving like a race car. It's like you can move a lot faster when you actually see these problems as clear problems that you can solve and then clear solutions that you can try, right? And the solutions are different thoughts you think, right? Different ways of looking at it. I can't tell you how many times we have people saying, oh, with that way of thinking, I know what to do next. With that mindset, I could get so much more done. With that mindset, oh, okay, I get it. That was very helpful. You provided so much clarity. That's the kind of feedback that that I get, right? And that's because I've been doing this for so long. So that's what I want to drive home for you today: is there is a problem that you can solve, and you have to identify what it is. I can help you with that, and you need to be willing to dive in to solve it, right? And not everybody's willing to do this work, right? Some people want to sit and complain. Some people want to post on LinkedIn and get a lot of attention for. Not succeeding, right? And I wanna be careful with what I say, but I also know that I've been there too, like in the big struggle and feeling sorry for myself and saying that I've been doing all the actions, like I'm submitting all the resumes, I'm not getting any responses. It's like, it's your responsibility to figure out why that is. It's your responsibility to figure out what is exactly going on and what you need to do totally differently. It's your responsibility. And the good news is, is that there's help available. There's options available. There's different opportunities available. Like there's so much available that you won't ever see as long as you're doing the same things and as long as you're getting the same results. So if you've been getting the same results for a while, if you haven't seen the traction that you want to see, if you think it's a problem outside of you that you can't control, like the economy, unrealistic expectations, no feedback, if you think it's one of those things, that's the first thing we need to shift. And then once we get the problem in your control, in your hands, then let's go to work on it. So I'd like to invite you to a 3-day training I'm doing. You can sign up for it. It's called Creating Certainty in Your Career, and we're going to be going through 3 days of very pinpointed, very specific things that people have been doing wrong that has not allowed them to find the job that they want to find, that has not allowed them to get the freedom and the pay in their career that they want. And we're going to open that up and we're going to explain why Why that's the case. Okay? And then it's gonna create clarity for you to move forward. You're gonna be feeling clear and focused and ready, and you'll be in a completely different mind space after this training. So you can go to www.nataliefisher.ca/creating. So it's for creating certainty in your career, and I'll be walking you through these steps. You can go to that page, see everything that's covered on the page, and then at the bottom you'll see some testimonials of some people who have gone through this process with me inside my program. And some people who have just taken the free trainings and what they have to say about that. This is probably gonna be one of the biggest ones I've done. I can't, like, I'm very excited. So far we have over 300 people signed up, and at the time of recording this, we still have a little ways to go before the training starts. So sign up, get it in your calendar, mark it. There will be replays available for 2 days after the training, and then they will get taken down. And come with your questions, come ready to engage. There's a workbook so you can print that out. A lot of people print that out, be ready to take notes, fill in the blanks, and have the intention to answer the questions for you, right? Like, be like, I wanna get this question answered. I wanna understand this. And I will be there for the 3 days doing that. So I can't wait to have you join me. Sign up in the link below and I will see you there. Okay. Have a great week. Hey, have you left me a review yet? If not, leaving me one now comes with an awesome bonus perk. I'm gonna give you access to my $97 course. It's titled 8 Reasons Why You Get Interviews But No Job Offers. This course is normally $97, but when you leave me a review as a thank you, I will give you access to it for free. And it's helped many professionals like you land their premium job offers and make more money just by simply going through this 4-day training that I did. I received so much feedback on so many of the results just from this $97 training, and I'd love to gift you that for free. So all you have to do is leave me a review on your favorite podcast platform, preferably iTunes, screenshot the review, email it to me. The details are in the show notes of the episode, and I can't wait to read your reviews and send you access to That course. Thank you so much.