Stop Downplaying Your Potential
Have you ever encouraged a friend to go after a promotion, start a business, write a book, or make a big career change? You can immediately see all of the reasons she would be amazing at it.
But when someone suggests that you start a business or make a career change, suddenly the doubts start creeping in.
I’m not really an expert.
Who would pay me for that?
I don’t have enough experience.
I could never do what she does.
Sound familiar?
As a business coach for women who are ready to start their own businesses, I see this all the time. Smart, accomplished women come to me with decades of professional experience, yet they have trouble recognizing just how valuable their knowledge and skills really are.
If you are thinking about a career change, starting a business, or simply wondering what your next chapter could look like, it may be time to stop focusing on what you think you’re missing.
Instead, start looking at what is already there.
Listen to episode #2678of the Second Act Success Podcast about this topic below…
Listen on Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube
Why Is It So Hard to Recognize Our Own Strengths?
One of the biggest reasons we downplay our potential is because we are simply too close to it.
The things you have been doing for 10, 15, or 20 years may feel ordinary to you.
Maybe you manage large teams.
Maybe you’re the person who can walk into a chaotic situation and immediately create a plan.
Maybe you know how to communicate complicated information in a way that makes sense.
Maybe you are great at connecting people, managing projects, organizing events, teaching, writing, selling, designing, or solving problems.
When you’ve done something for years, you may think: “That’s just what I do.” But that’s exactly the point.
Your experience has value because not everyone knows how to do what you know how to do.
What feels easy or natural to you may be difficult for someone else. And in some cases, people will gladly pay for the knowledge, service, or solution you can provide.
Fall Reset: How to See Your Potential and Turn Your Strengths Into a Business | #268
Your Career Experience Could Become Your Business Idea
If you’re considering leaving your 9-to-5 and starting a business, don’t assume you need to come up with a completely new idea. Start by looking backward.
What have you already learned?
What problems have you solved?
What responsibilities have you handled?
What industries do you understand?
What have you become exceptionally good at doing?
Your years of career experience can become the foundation for your second act.
A project manager might become an operations consultant.
A corporate marketer might launch a marketing strategy business.
A teacher might build a tutoring, curriculum, training, or educational consulting business.
A human resources professional might move into leadership development or workplace consulting.
An executive who has spent years mentoring employees might discover an opportunity in coaching, consulting, training, or speaking.
This doesn’t mean every skill needs to become a business. It means your business idea may be closer than you think.
Pay Attention to What Other People See in You
Here’s something I want you to try. Think about the compliments you have heard repeatedly throughout your career and your life. What do people always tell you?
“You’re so organized.”
“You’re great at explaining things.”
“You always know how to solve a problem.”
“You’re so good with people.”
“You should teach this.”
“Can you help me with this?”
“You should do this professionally.”
We tend to brush off these comments. Instead of doing this, start collecting them.
One person’s observation might simply be a nice compliment. But if people have been saying similar things to you for years, pay attention to the pattern.
Other people can sometimes see our strengths more clearly because they aren’t carrying around all of our doubts, fears, and insecurities. They just see what we’re good at.
Ask People What They Think You Are Good At
If you’re struggling to identify your strengths or figure out what kind of business you could start, ask. Reach out to a few trusted friends, colleagues, former coworkers, or mentors and ask:
“What do you think I’m naturally good at?” or “If you could see me starting a business, what kind of business would you imagine me running?”
Don’t argue with them. If your friend tells you that you’d be an incredible consultant, don’t immediately explain the 17 reasons why you couldn’t possibly become one. Listen.
You don’t have to act on every suggestion. The goal is to gather information and see whether there are patterns you haven’t noticed. Sometimes you need to borrow someone else’s belief in you until you’re ready to believe it yourself.
Try the Fall Potential List
I love fall because it naturally feels like a fresh start. January gets most of the attention when it comes to setting goals, but September has its own back-to-school energy. The kids are back in school. Schedules return. We buy new notebooks. We get organized. There are still several months left in the year.
So why wait until January to think about what’s next? Grab a notebook and create what I call your Fall Potential List.
Divide a page into three categories:
- What am I good at?
- What do people ask me for help with?
- What would I love to do more of?
Start filling in each section and look for overlap. That overlap is where things get interesting.
For example, maybe you’ve spent years managing complicated projects. Friends constantly ask you to help organize their businesses. And you’re craving more flexibility and independence. Could consulting be part of your second act?
Maybe you’re the person everyone comes to for advice about nutrition, fashion, finances, technology, career development, home organization, or another area where you also have relevant professional experience or training. Could there be a service you could offer?
You’re not trying to create an entire business plan in one afternoon. You’re looking for clues.
Stop Asking “Why Can’t I?” and Start Asking “What Would It Take?”
This is one of the most important mindset shifts you can make when considering a career change or starting a business. Pay attention to what happens when you have an idea.
Do you immediately disqualify yourself?
“I’d love to start a business, but…”
“I’ve thought about becoming a consultant, but…”
“I’d love to write a book, but…”
“I’ve always wanted to leave my job, but…”
Instead of finishing that sentence, try asking:
“What would it take?”
What would it take to start that business?
What would it take to test this idea?
What would it take to find your first client?
What would it take to begin consulting while keeping your current job?
What would it take to make a career change without jeopardizing your financial security?
That question moves you out of automatic rejection and into problem-solving. And no, asking the question doesn’t mean you need to quit your job tomorrow.
I am a big believer in learning before you leap. You can research your idea, validate it, talk to potential customers, build your financial runway, and begin creating your business before deciding whether leaving your job makes sense.
A Career Change Doesn’t Mean Starting Over
This is something I wish more women understood.
You are not starting from scratch. You are starting from experience.
When I left my career as a television producer after more than 16 years, I didn’t leave those skills behind. I knew how to take an idea and bring it to life. I knew how to manage projects, communicate, coordinate people, solve problems, work under pressure, and get things done.
Eventually, I realized that I could take those skills I had used to produce television and use them to produce my own life. My career changed, but my experience came with me. Yours will too.
Your second act doesn’t erase your first one. It builds upon it.
Your Transferable Skills May Be the Key to Your Second Act
If you’re feeling stuck in your career, take some time to identify your transferable skills. These are skills that aren’t limited to your current job title or industry.
Leadership.
Communication.
Project management.
Problem-solving.
Sales.
Relationship building.
Teaching.
Writing.
Strategic thinking.
Creativity.
Organization.
These skills can move with you.
Instead of asking, “What else am I qualified to do?”, try asking: “Where else could these skills be valuable?”
That’s a much bigger question. And it can open doors you haven’t considered.
Don’t Wait Until January to Start Planning Your Next Chapter
Fall is the perfect season to get curious about what’s next.
You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need a finished business plan. You don’t even need to know exactly what your second act will look like yet.
Start by recognizing the woman you’ve already become. You have accumulated years of knowledge, skills, relationships, accomplishments, mistakes, lessons, and life experience. Stop downplaying them.
Start asking yourself:
What am I good at?
What do other people see in me that I don’t see in myself?
What do I want to do more of?
How could my experience translate into a business or career that fits the life I want now?
And most importantly: What could be possible if I stopped automatically assuming I couldn’t do it?
Your next chapter may not require you to become someone completely different. It may simply require you to finally recognize the potential that’s been there all along.
If you have a business idea or you’re ready to turn your years of career experience into a business of your own, I can help you figure out your next steps.
Book a free Second Act Strategy Call with me, and we’ll talk about your business idea, where you are now, and what makes sense for your life as you begin building your second act.
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