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Welcome back to the discovering your calling podcast. I am your host, Sheri Miter. And today I recorded a virtual summit interview, and the summit was for corporate women looking for career change. And I wanted to share with you some of the things that we talked about and then some other thoughts that I had after I did the interview. Now, the summit that's coming up is for high level corporate women and leaders in network marketing who are ready to step away from their careers and create something of their own.
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And I have a feeling there's someone on here listening right now that that's you. And that was me four years ago. So these are the women that I love to speak to. And if that is you, then you were definitely in for a treat today. And know that I am speaking directly to you, my friend.
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This one's for you. And I remember, you know, after we got done with this summit interview, I just started thinking about, like, that time in my life that I was in that space of despite my success in the network marketing field, knowing that I was ready to make a change and how challenging it was to make that decision, first of all, to walk away from something that I'd worked so hard to build and achieve. And the first reason why that was just so challenging was because it took, you know, the blood, sweat, and tears to get to the level I had, had worked for and had got to. And I was very proud to have achieved that position. But something in my gut and my heart and my soul just told me it was time to step away, or at least time to start thinking about other options, other opportunities that might be out there.
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And maybe that's where you're at right now. And, you know, as I shared in the interview today, you know, I loved that career until I didn't.
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And it's so hard to say why or how I knew it was time to leave. But again, I just knew in my gut it was. And maybe you relate to that. Maybe you understand what I'm trying to say that I have such a hard time putting words to. But if you do, you know, that angst, that angst that you're feeling, that angst that just is like, something has to change.
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And the second thing that made making that decision to make a change and to step away made that so challenging was that I had absolutely no idea, no idea what else I would do. I had been in network marketing for 25 years. It was my life. And again, I had loved it, and I had no idea what else was out there. It wasn't that I was stepping into something already created.
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No, it wasn't. Now, I did have a long Runway. I gave myself a year Runway to figure out the pieces. But even at the end of the year, I still wasn't 100% sure. And that was really, really scary.
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But I want to share with you today what I did do and what started to give me that clarity so that I could have the confidence to make that exit strategy. And it's how to start figuring out what's next by tapping into your natural strengths. It's again, what I did. And I had already been exposed to Clifton strengths in the networking marketing field. It's what made me successful as a leader.
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I give it full credit to helping me lead my team, to know me better, to know my challenges, to know what I did well, to know where I was weaker, to understand my people better, because I knew their strengths and how to help them tap into their natural strengths. I've been already coaching my team with strengths, so I knew it was a passion of mine. I didn't know if it was going to be my what's next at that point, but I knew it could help guide me. So here's how the Clifton strengths assessment can help guide you as you're making this transition and trying to figure out what is next for you.
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So when you take the Clifton strengths assessment, you will find out how you naturally think, feel and behave. That is what it measures. And the strengths assessment reports that you will get are based on how you answer the 177 plus questions you'll be asked when you take the assessment. And the results are your talent DNA. I like to think of it as your God given natural talents.
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It's what makes you amazing and it's what makes you unique. You're one in 33 million, meaning the chances of someone else out there in the world having the exact same top five themes in the exact same order that you do is one in 33 million. That's so crazy to me. So this report is, like, super customized for you. You're going to find out what your signature themes are.
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You hear me? Refer to them as your top five themes. Or even it's really kind of your top ten, because they really do. Once you understand what they all are, they really all play a part in making you successful and giving you that quality of life with energy and excitement and happiness and joy that we're all looking for. So that's a little background on what the Clifton strengths is.
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If you haven't heard me talk about it yet, that's really the brief definition of it. Or description of it. But once you take this assessment. And you almost just gotta trust me on this, you guys just trust me on this. That you need to take this assessment.
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But because once you take it. I wanted to read to you today a few actual. Drawing a blank on the word I'm looking for here. But actual, you know, exact verbiage from some of my clients. From.
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Pulled directly from their strengths reports. This is how unique it is. Now, you may have the exact same theme. And I didn't. I'm not even telling you what talent theme these came from.
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From these clients. I just want you to hear how unique it is. And you can imagine that if you had your Clifton strengths report. And you read things similar to this. Based on whatever yours is going to be.
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Yours is not going to, again, be what theirs is. How you might be able to pull that information and say, oh, that's going to help me figure out, like, yeah, this is what I do love to do. How could I create a business around this? Or this is the talents I love to share with people. How can I do more of that?
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So the information, again, that you get. Will highlight your natural attributes, your gifts, and your superpowers. So you might hear things like, one of my clients. This is one of my clients. She's a wedding planner.
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And in her report, these are some things that it actually says. In her Clifton strengths report. So imagine if you were hiring a wedding planner. Wouldn't you want one that has these talents and strengths? So it says, by nature, you have a reputation for being the team member.
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Who does whatever it takes. Within the bounds of propriety and ethics. Of course, to live up to your commitments. To some extent. You make a point of knowing particular people as individuals.
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You might notice what makes them distinct or different from everyone else. When you are meeting certain people for the first time. Maybe you say or do things to make them laugh and smile. Now, again, take that in the context that she is a wedding planner. So imagine you're getting married.
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And you're meeting with tons of wedding planners. But this one particular wedding planner makes you laugh, makes you smile. You know, she hears you. And she has a reputation for getting things done. And living up to her commitment.
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So you know you can trust her. Wouldn't she be the one that you would hire? Yes. And again, Clifton strengths has no idea. Linda is a wedding planner.
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But she's using her natural talents and strengths in her business. So another client of mine, she came to me. She's a teacher. She was on a sabbatical hiatus for, well, being. She needed a break from it after COVID.
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And she didn't know what was next for her. So we dove into her Clifton strengths. And these were some of the things that her report said about her natural talents. Says, perhaps your mind cannot rest regardless of where you go or what you do. To some extent, you ponder what you have observed.
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Occasionally you pose never before asked questions. Perhaps thinking deeply about certain things is a necessity for you. It might not be a luxury. It might not be an option. Now, we talked about when we read that in her report, that even though she was on a break from teaching, she still needed to use her mind.
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Now, she's a mom. She has two littles. So she'd kind of gotten into mom routine. And she was in a funk. She didn't feel like her again.
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And it was like, whoa. When we read that, it's like, no, you need to be using your mind. So we, I suggested that she immediately take all her years of experience, all the information she knows, and start a blog that, that would give her this place to share all this information, to share all the things she ponders about. And to have a reason why she needs to stop to ponder. Because she needs to write her blog.
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Once she started creating that blog, she started to feel more alive and more like herself again. She has now created a mastermind type program for reading teachers. And she's sharing her expertise in her blog. So it's a beautiful marriage. Of all her past experiences, her skills, and her strengths.
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Then there was another client of mine. And this one, to me, is still one of the bizarrest things I've read in a Clifton strikes report. Now, this client, she's one of those people that actually does love to clean her house. Like her thing is keeping things neat, keeping things organized. She understands that when your home is like that, it is your sanctuary.
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And I honestly don't know if she ever started it yet. And Katie, if you're listening, that's a call out to you. I still think this is your calling. So let's talk. But I know she would excel as an organizer.
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And imagine this. Imagine that you are looking for somebody to come in. Because it's not your strength. You're looking for somebody to come in and organize your house. Wouldn't you want somebody whose natural talent report reads like this?
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This one's like I said, it cracks me up. Chances are good that you probably have a system in place. So everything in your environment gets straightened up. Dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed, laundered, mowed, raked or swept once a day. Once a week or once a month.
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You want everyone who uses these spaces to follow your schedule. You argue that this is the price one pays for enjoying the comforts of a home, workstation, car, garage or yard. She had a saying that your home is your sanctuary and how true. Like she that's just the way her brain naturally thinks, feels and behaves. And then there's my report.
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I just wanted to read you a couple little lines from my report. One of the things in my report says chances are good that you describe the good life as taking the dare, walking to the edge, running toward the unknown, or working high in the air without a net to stop your fall. You probably enjoy the rush of adrenaline that accompanies risky deeds or decisions. You trust your instincts, so you forge ahead confidently, even on risky paths. Because of your certainty, persuasiveness and ability to make decisions easily, you lead the way for others.
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Then there's another statement that reflects how I use my strengths in my coaching and consulting. It says it's very likely that you can influence your friends to be productive. How? You point out the talents, skills and knowledge each one possesses. You can convince them they have the abilities to solve problems, implement changes or launch initiatives.
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You probably prevent many people from losing confidence in themselves. That last part is exactly why I love coaching women like you. Now that first part, I want to talk a little bit about that because, you know, it talks about being on the high net without a or the working high in the air without a net to stop your fall. I am definitely scared of heights, so there's definitely a metaphor there. But I do feel most alive when I'm doing something that challenges me.
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That's why I personally loved when my husband and I were doing our seven month sailing venture and learning new things and trying new things and living on the edge. That is what makes me feel most excited about life. I need the challenges in my life, and that's who I love to work with. I love to work with those women and guys that are ready to, like, just try to find something new who are willing. Because you know what?
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Being an entrepreneur, my friend, is risky. It's a risky path. And I want to be that coach and guide for you to help you step confidently onto that risky path. Because it doesn't have to be scary all the time. But that's what makes me feel most alive.
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So anyway, again, these are the exact words from Clifton strength's 34 reports. How powerful is that? And that's what you can see too, for yourself by, by diving deeper into you know, when I dove deeper. Sorry, into my Clifton strengths, I was able to see what I was currently doing and why it was exhausting me. And I knew that if I didn't change, I would be frustrated, burned out and bitter.
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You see, the other thing I found out as I looked at my Clifton strengths is that I'm a maximizer. And maximizers love to take something or someone who's already great and make them superb or make it superb. Whereas developers love to start from scratch. They love like creating, just seeing little steps of improvement. And I knew that I was spending most of my time developing people versus working with the few who are, who were ready to go to that next level.
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And I knew that if I didn't make a change, it just, I wasn't going to be happy. Diving into my Clifton strengths also showed me the clues that the type of atmosphere I needed to work best. See, I'm a high relator. Relator is number eight for me. Whereas woo, which stands for winning others over, is number 23.
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So relators love to build one on one relationships. They love to go deeper with people. They love to really get to know someone. We love small, like, give me a small dinner party over a cocktail party any day. Whereas woos can walk in the room and they want to know something about everybody.
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They want everybody to be their friend. So I knew if I was going to start a business, it needed to be more on a smaller scale because I love the settings of one on one coaching. I love consulting small groups. I love doing workshops of 25 or less. Now, I don't mind speaking from a stage, but I really thrive in those types of environments where I get to interact with people.
00:17:43
Please don't ask me to attend a networking event ever. I did it because I had to, to build my business. I don't want to do that anymore. At this point in my life, I want to build a referral type business and attract clients from teaching and inspiring. That's why I do this podcast.
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So your report is going to reveal these kind of things to you. They're going to show you lines. Like, I read that. Like, oh wait, let's, let's pull that out. Let's, like, that's a huge clue as to what you could be building, what kind of environment you need, what's going to frustrate you?
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If you don't create something around that now, it's not going to reveal exactly what you should be doing. That's not what it's for, but it will leave those clues to help you figure it out. And once you know what the, what's next thing is your signature themes, which again is your top five or your top 1010, depending on how much you know about them, will become what I call the compass rose for you to refer back to time and time again to keep you on the right path. That wedding planner client, we just, she just came back after a couple of, you know, she didn't need me for a year or so. Plus I was off on a sailboat, traveling.
00:19:08
So she just rejoined again as a client, a consulting client of mine. And the first thing we did is went back to her strengths. So we go back to these time, time and time again. Okay, my friends. So right now I strongly, strongly encourage you to take the assessment, if nothing else, for these following reasons.
00:19:32
One, we don't really recognize our own talents because they're so innate in us. We don't see how they are a talent. And I hear this sometimes, well, I know what my strengths are. It's like, do you? Do you really?
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No. You're guessing at what your strengths are. Don't guess anymore. Let's see it in black and white. You just might be surprised.
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Second reason why I strongly encourage you to actually take the assessment is you may have been told that your talents are weaknesses by someone in the past. That happens so many times from teachers, parents, bosses telling us that the way our thinking is off or the way we behave is off because it's not the way they think and behave, but it could actually be your talent shining through if we allow it. Third reason why I strongly encourage you to take the assessment is we might mistake skills for talents. And just because we can do something doesn't make it a talent or a strength. We've all learned a lot of skills to do our businesses, to run a, you know, company, to do our job, and we could be proficient in it.
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But we will never be superb at it. We will never fully thrive in it if it doesn't align with your natural talents and strengths. Now, the sweet spot is if you can align your skills with your talents, that is the sweet spot. But sometimes we can mistake a skill that we have for a talent. A skill is learned.
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A talent is innate. Fourth reason why I strongly encourage you to take this assessment is once you read that report, it's just going to confirm and affirm who you are at your best. You may read it and like, yeah, I knew all that about me, but now you have it in black and white. Now you have it in black and white to say yes, this is what I've been thinking all along. This is who I am at my best.
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And then you can start looking for those clues as to what is your, what's next. And if you already know what your, what's next, it, it's just going to help guide you. And again, just confirm that you're on the right path. Okay? So as we wrap up here, my friend, if you're convinced that it's time to take this assessment, or if you've taken a long time ago, maybe it's time to pull it back up and review it, what's your next step?
00:22:23
So I've redone our five to thrive. Well, the five to thrive guide has not been redone. It's gorgeous the way it is. I did not create it, my graphic designer did. She used her strengths to do that.
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But we are redoing the mini training that goes along with it. And it's part of the start with strengths packages. This is the most cost effective, it's probably not the most cost effective, but it's the least amount of money to take the assessment and still get a little bit of support on it because you could just go to Clifton strike. You can just go to gallup right now and take the Clifton strikes report. You can take it without me, you don't need me.
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But if you want my support and guidance along the way to help you pick things apart, this is what I offer. So our start restraints packages, you'll get your. It starts at just $37 and with that you get the top five report or the code to go take the assessment. So you'll get your top five report along with the five to thrive, our strengths reference quick, quick reference guide and also five days of mini training that go along with the guide. So you'll start to learn things like why do I get frustrated easily?
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And you'll see it in your talent themes. What environment do I need to thrive? What makes me unique? Why does the world need me to just show up and shine? Now you'll also get a really cool quote card that represents your talent themes and just a brief definition about that talent.
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A little more information about that talent theme. Now if you really want some great support, I would suggest booking instead. Or start with strengths debrief session. This is a 90 minutes session where you and I will, you know, look at your report. I'll spend time before we get on the phone and I'll find those clues that you may miss that will help guide you on your path.
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You'll also get the five to thrive guide and mini training to go along with that as well. So check out these offerings, see what feels right to you. You can go to Sheri mitreco.com services. Remember, Sheri's with one r, one I. And so sherimiterco.com services.
00:25:01
And I recommend either the start with strengths package or the start with strengths debrief session as the best place to get your assessment. Get some information on it, and let's get this journey going for you. All right, as always, let me know what was most helpful in today's podcast. Did you love hearing some of the actual little tidbit or the actual verbiage from other people's reports? Did you like that?
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Are you inspired now to go take the assessment, or did it leave you bewildered and just having more questions about it? Let me know. Thanks, and we'll catch you next week with another great interview.