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Hi Charisse!
I used to have some of those restless “help me Google!” moments back in my old job, so I totally get it! Glad the old Google-box led you to us. š
Great question about figuring out your Secondary Profile, and I definitely can see why you’re feeling a bit stuck with this. It would obviously help if I could talk through this with you in more depth in something like 1-on-1 coaching, but just based on what you wrote, here are my thoughts:
— Tribe Member: I agree that you sound like a primary Tribe Member … but one that’s gotten burnt out (and maybe a bit jaded) by rigid, hierarchical structures and negative team environments. Those things are hard for anyone, but for Tribe Members, they’re downright devastating. I don’t think you’ve actually lost your Tribe Member sparkle — I think it’s just been dulled from environments that haven’t inspired you.
— Firestarter: I also agree that you do seem to have an independent streak and a rebelliousness when it comes to working within “the system” (hierarchy, rigid schedules, lack of autonomy, etc.). So my hunch is that you might be a Firestarter secondarily. Keep in mind that not all Firestarters need (or want) to start their own business. You might like something more along the lines of “intrapreneurship” — as in, creating or leading a team/project/initiative within a bigger company. That way, you get lots more autonomy and control, without the external pressures of running the whole business. It will also be important for you to work someplace where they put a lot of trust in their employees to work on their own schedule and in a way that makes sense to them — micromanaging is going to drive you up a wall!
— Side Hustler: I think your many interests and ideas might just be coming from the visionary part of your Secondary Firestarter. Being super curious and a natural idea-generator are traits that Firestarters and Side Hustlers often share. But the way that you described yourself, I don’t necessarily think this equates to you being a true Side Hustler.
— Thriver: From everything you said, I truly don’t think you’re a Thriver. I think you might just be ACTING like a Thriver at the moment because you’re burnt out and disenchanted with your work, so you’re not as engaged as you would like to be, which is normal. I have a feeling that, if you were in the right work environment–with awesome, supportive, inspiring people, a mission you felt deeply connected to, and freedom to be creative and autonomous–your motivation and enthusiasm would come back in a big way.
Now, please don’t just take my word about this! Check in with yourself to see how much of this rings true. And if you disagree with any part of it, use that as a way of getting curious about what’s actually true instead.
Hopefully this helps! š
Hi Grace! So glad you enjoyed the course! š
From what you wrote, it’s clear that you’re a very self-aware person, and the PPSC helped you validate things you had started to suspect about yourself. Very cool! Also, I definitely agree that you sound like a pretty balanced Thriver-Side Hustler combo, so I think you’re spot on with that.
I think you were starting to answer your own question, but I’ll confirm your suspicion: Yes, it’s totally normal for the balance of your two Profiles to ebb and flow over time, as you go through different phases of life. This might not be as true for someone with, say, a 90/10 breakdown of their two profiles, but if you feel like you’re pretty balanced between Thriver & Side Hustler, then they’re more likely to alternate between which one is prominent at any given time. You’re always going to have both sets of values to some extent, but as the priorities in your life change, so will the balance of your Profiles. Which just means it’ll be extra important for you to keep checking in with yourself periodically to recalibrate as necessary!
As far as book recommendations/resources go for Thriver-Side Hustlers … let me sit with that for a while to see if anything in particular comes to mind. Also, I’m sure lots of people would love to have a list of books/resources specific to their Profile(s), so that might be something Rachel and I need to create! So I appreciate you asking the question because now you’ve got the wheels in my head turning. š I’ll get back to you on that!
Awesome, Mary — glad you found a way to make it work! And thanks for sharing our site with people. That’s the greatest compliment we can get! š
Tristan,
I’m glad you’re getting clearer on the kind of work and environment that would be better suited to you. That’s going to be SO helpful as you continue your job search.
It makes sense that you’re wondering how to transition into a type of job you’ve never had before — that’s a very common concern that a lot of our clients have. But remember that people pivot into different kinds of careers all the time, so it’s totally possible. It’s partially about using any/all of your experience and framing it in a way that best aligns with the new position (for example, marketing and copywriting and editing are VERY transferable skills across industries), and also demonstrating that you’re a fast learner and motivated employee who can easily pick up the rest on the job.
Hope you’ll keep us updated on your search! Best of luck.
Hi Maya!
I’m so happy you decided to join us for the PPSC! And it’s always awesome to hear from long-time blog readers. š
As I was reading through your question about Secondary Profiles, I felt like you might have answered your own question when you said: “Iām wondering if Iām a true Thriver or if Iām just retaliating because commuting in LA sucks and I wished I could come in the office later in the morning.”
It sounds to me like your attraction to the Thriver profile is coming more from a place of exhaustion and near-burnout with your commute vs. genuine resonance. I’ve occasionally seen people get a “false positive” Thriver result when they’re burnt out with working (or some aspect of their work), not because it’s really who they are at their core but because they just need a freaking break. My gut tells me that might be what’s going on for you here, too.
Also, keep in mind that the Thriver profile also has some overlap with both of your other profiles, especially Tribe Member. Both Thrivers and Tribe Members are often social creatures who particularly love a fun, enjoyable, positive, family-feel work environment. So part of your attraction to the Thriver profile might be the parts of it that overlap with Tribe Member. Does that make sense?
Anyway, I get the sense that if you had a shorter commute and didn’t have to go in to the office so early, you wouldn’t even be questioning whether you’re part-Thriver or not, because it wouldn’t be super relevant. But from what you described, I sense that you truly might have some Side Hustler going on as a secondary profile. So it will be important as you’re considering your next career steps to keep your Side Hustler in mind so you don’t get bored by a job with too little stimulation and variety.
Hope that helps! And I’m SO happy to hear that this course was so helpful to you. That means the world to Rachel and me!
Hi Tristan! So glad you decided to join us for the PPSC.
It’s totally understandable that you’ve felt frustrated by starting businesses in the past (and maybe even now, too) considering you’re not a pure Firestarter — you’re also a Thriver. (I totally get this inner tug-of-war, in a very personal way, because I’m also a mixture of those two profiles!) So the Thriver part of you craves stability and predictability, which means not all forms of entrepreneurship will feel like a good fit. The riskier the venture, the more your Thriver self is going to freak out.
I’d be curious to hear what you think about the concept of “intrapreneurship.” Essentially, it means being an innovator/creator of some kind of project or initiative within a company. I think it might appeal to your Firestarter’s desire to rebel and do things your own way, while respecting your Thriver’s need for security. Thoughts?
Good luck with the job searching! Your commitment to doing it consistently every week is a great strategy. Can’t wait to hear what you find!
You’re welcome! š And yep, the PPVE live hangouts are actually live, where you can watch Rachel and I real-time on video and ask questions, just like all of our past webinars.
Enjoy the workshop replay!
Brianne — I’m really glad that helped shift your perspective around how you view your art right now! And yes, it’s absolutely OK to not try to pursue it right now, and instead give yourself permission to work on your art when and how you feel like it.
I love the way you were asking yourself those discovery-type questions about what you’re interested in/curious about right now and what it’s so intriguing to you. In fact, it would be a great idea for you to do some stream-of-consciousness journaling about that where you keep asking yourself those kinds of questions and writing down your responses — just whatever comes to mind in the moment. It could be very revealing!
Oh and yes, you can absolutely get a recording of our virtual workshop from yesterday. In fact, I’ll post a link to the replay here so anyone else in this program can watch it too, if they missed it. Note: this recording will expire after Friday, Feb. 2nd. So definitely make time to watch it in the next few days!
Here’s the replay link: http://clarityonfire.com/live-workshop-replay
And yes, you have forever access to the PPSC, so you can keep coming back to this course as often as you want. There’s no expiration date!
Have a great week!
Hey Brianne!
You shared so many great thoughts! I’m going to answer your questions the way you numbered them:
1) When it comes to your art, it seems clear that you don’t want to put a lot of pressure on it. You don’t want strict deadlines or restrictions — you just want to create what inspires you and feels good. Which also makes me think that asking your art to fund your life probably isn’t the best idea for you (at least right now). So while you might end up turning your art into a side business, I wouldn’t start with that. Start by simply giving yourself a few hours a week of “no expectations creative time” (I wrote a blog about this topic you can read here). For now, don’t put any pressure on your art to “be something” or turn out a certain way. And you don’t even have to limit yourself to one medium! Play around with your art, and allow your curiosity and inspiration to lead the way, instead of your logical mind. Then see where it takes you over time.
2) I was so happy to see that you signed up for our other program (the PPVE) because we’re going to be helping you answer this exact question throughout that course! So while I have SO MUCH to say on this topic, you can trust that you will have answers to this question at the end of the PPVE. So excited you decided to join us! š
3) Again, it’s awesome that you joined us for the PPVE, because you really WILL be part of a passion group there. So that was a great step in this direction. In terms of getting paid to be involved in something like this, it’s absolutely possible for you to be an administrative assistant or graphic designer or project coordinator or any number of other jobs for a business you love who’s doing great work in the world. I know a LOT of entrepreneurs/business owners in the self-help/spiritual/personal-growth world who have virtual teams to support their business. That could be an interesting option for you! Then you wouldn’t be in charge of the whole business, but you could support a person/team/mission that you really believe in. Just an idea!
4) I gave a few examples of Thriver-esque support roles in #3 above, and it’s hard to come up with examples because there are SO MANY. Literally, anything that allows you to do your work without being responsible for an entire project or people counts. A few super broad examples are things like assistants, coordinators, specialists, creatives, etc. There is no such thing as a “Thriver job,” and I don’t want to give you overly specific examples because I don’t want to limit your options — any job/company that aligns with the values of a Thriver and that also intersects with your natural interests would probably be a good fit.
Again, we’ll be getting more into WHAT you’re passionate about in the PPVE (vs. this course, which was about HOW your passion and career intersect), so I’m excited you decided to join us! š
Hi Brianne! It totally makes sense why you feel that way about your art. It’s 100% OK to not want to put pressure on your creativity! You’re allowed to enjoy being creative and making art ONLY when and how you feel like it. Clearly putting deadlines or restrictions or any kind of pressure on it ruins the fun for you, and that’s perfectly normal.
There are countless jobs that fall under the non-leadership/management category — I would say any job where you’re not the sole person in charge of a team of people or an entire project would count. For example, in a marketing team there might be multiple team members who each have their own specialization (writing, graphics, sales, web development, etc.), and each person is supporting the team in a different way, whereas the team leader is managing the entire team/project. Does that make sense? So if you get to focus on the thing you enjoy/are good at, without worrying about being responsible for a bunch of other people or the success of the entire team/project, I would consider that a “non-management job.”
Hope that’s helpful! Oh, and I just saw 444 right before posting this. š
Hi Brianne! Since you’re primarily a Thriver, I wonder if art might be what you’re most passionate about, but not necessarily what you want to do as your career (or at least not as a full-time career)? It sounds like you enjoy art for the pure fun and creative expression that it brings you. And even though you’ve thought about more traditional artistic jobs many times before, the motivation to turn your art into a career hasn’t fully been there. Like you said, you don’t usually have the desire to create art unless you’re feeling inspired, so if you HAD to do it every day in order to collect a paycheck, the Thriver part of you might start to resent your art. By not pursuing artistic jobs, you might have been subconsciously protecting your art by not putting pressure on it to fund your entire life.
Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t still be drawn to jobs or companies that are somewhat creative — that would be totally natural, since you’re such a creative person by nature! As a Thriver (with some Side Hustler mixed in), you’ll likely be happiest at a job that’s fun, low-stress, secure, and allows you to work with supportive, likeminded people … and that also allows you to do the things you’re MOST passionate about (like creating your art) outside of work whenever you feel like it with no pressure.
To answer your question … the reason we say that Thrivers tend to love being support roles is that most Thrivers don’t want a ton of responsibility in their day job (they’d rather save their energy for their outside-of-work pursuits!), which means they tend to be less comfortable in leadership or management roles. Not that they couldn’t do those jobs — it’s just that it might feel like a lot of pressure and responsibility, and they’d rather not have that much stress at work. So when we say “support roles,” we mostly just mean non-leadership/management roles. Anything that allows you to come in, do what you enjoy/are good at, and then clock out (literally and also mentally) will likely sound most appealing to you.
Hope that helps! Oh, and yes I love Angel Numbers! I see them on license plates (and other random places) all the time. They always seem to show up right when I need them. š
Karisa — It’s totally normal to feel that internal negative voice of fear when you’re job searching, but the fact that you can recognize that voice as separate from the REAL you is huge. It means you don’t have to let that fearful inner voice “win.” Having fear is 100% normal. Listening to your fear is a choice, and you can always choose to listen to your inner loving voice instead. š I hope you’ll come back and let us know how the job searching goes!
