00:00:00: Introduction
00:00:56: The quote
00:01:05: The inspiration behind the quote
00:02:32: Modifications ensuing from the quote
00:03:44: The way it helps others
00:04:57: Concepts for motion…
00:05:40: … 1: a coach-yourself query and thoughts map
00:06:58: … 2: the ‘what’ – fresh-start impact
00:08:56: … 3: the ‘who’ – weak ties
00:11:14: … 4: the ‘the place’ – new locations and areas
00:12:44: Remaining ideas
Sarah Ellis: Hello, I am Sarah.
Helen Tupper: And I am Helen.
Sarah Ellis: And that is the Squiggly Careers podcast. Each week, we speak about a unique subject to do with work, and share concepts and actions to assist all of us navigate these Squiggly Careers with that bit extra confidence and management.
Helen Tupper: And we’re recording a sequence for the summer time. And so, we wished to do one thing barely totally different, as a result of we recognise that work may really feel a bit totally different in the summertime and also you is likely to be juggling some various things, holidays, childcare, plenty of totally different work priorities. So, these episodes are a part of our summer time sequence, the place we’re taking quotes which have impressed our profession and turning them into actionable recommendation for everyone who’s listening. And in every episode, we’ll take a type of quotes and the opposite particular person will interview. So, it will be Sarah’s quote at the moment, which she is going to reveal in a second, and I get the chance to interview Sarah. Have I ever interviewed you earlier than?
Sarah Ellis: I do not know in case you have.
Helen Tupper: We’ll see how this goes. A dwell experiment, fully unprepared! Okay, properly, let’s begin with query primary. What’s the quote that has impressed your profession?
Sarah Ellis: So, the quote is, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”.
Helen Tupper: What does that imply to you?
Sarah Ellis: Effectively, I first heard the quote from a really spectacular girl, known as Nicola Mendelsohn. And I believe for me, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”, was me connecting the dots between letting go of ladderlike pondering for my profession, and embracing this concept of a Squiggly Profession. As a result of in plenty of methods, I am actually interested in the ladder. It is bold, it is achievement-oriented, I need to progress. For some time I puzzled whether or not progress or development was really one among my values. I made a decision achievement was a greater phrase. However I believe I used to be making an attempt to form of reconcile in my thoughts, “Effectively, I do not need to let go of my ambitions, and work is a giant a part of who I’m and I benefit from the work that I do. However I do recognise this ladder is beginning to really feel limiting. However how do I convey these two worlds collectively?”
I believe listening to, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”, I used to be like, “Oh, okay, that is rather more about me”. we speak about, “Create, do not wait”, when it comes to your profession and your job? It simply caught with me as like, be extra intentional about your profession. And that does not have to appear like a change in job title, would not have to appear like a change of firm, would not even must appear like a change of job. Yearly, you can also make the dedication to by no means dwell the identical yr twice and you may ship on it.
Helen Tupper: What have you ever accomplished otherwise in your profession or life because of that quote?
Sarah Ellis: I believe rather more about doing issues I’ve not accomplished earlier than, partly as a result of I believe I do know a bit about how good it’s to be a newbie, but additionally as a result of I do discover these moments of doing one thing for the primary time — there’s that basically good query that Cath Bishop requested in her guide, The Lengthy Win, “When was the final time you probably did one thing new, or when was the final time you probably did one thing for the primary time?” And I do recognise that it’s so straightforward to get caught in habits, patterns, doing belongings you’ve accomplished earlier than. And there is that nice phrase which I at all times assume feels actually harsh. It is form of the stick model of the quote that I’ve chosen. So, if the carrot model is, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”, I really feel just like the stick model is, “Familiarity breeds complacency”. And I am like, that is the stick.
Helen Tupper: Yeah, that is fairly harsh.
Sarah Ellis: Yeah, it’s harsh, however I additionally discover it fairly fascinating. The factor that I do otherwise is I do stay up for a yr and I am like, “Proper, what do I need to check out? What do I need to do otherwise? What do I need to do for the primary time?” after which it informs plenty of the actions that then I take.
Helen Tupper: So, clearly it is a quote that has made a giant distinction to you and your growth. Why do you assume it’s one thing that would assist different folks?
Sarah Ellis: Effectively, I used to be reflecting on this, and I believe we regularly ask folks initially of workshops or programmes that we’re doing, “What’s one phrase to explain your profession to date, or to explain how you feel about work in the mean time?” And also you do hear folks say, “Stalling and caught”, loads. I believe that’s form of pure. All of us have these moments the place maybe you are feeling such as you’re plateauing a bit. However in case you have this concept of by no means dwelling the identical yr twice, I believe it lets you get unstuck. And it lets you make progress, as a result of we will all do that indirectly. Even when our jobs are fairly habit-based and we do plenty of the identical issues and there is plenty of routines, there’s at all times some newness that I believe you will discover and that I believe is basically good for us. And if I take into consideration what does it appear like to be resilient in our Squiggly Careers, you do not need to do the identical once more, you do not need to get caught in the established order. I believe that will increase your profession danger and reduces your resilience.
Helen Tupper: I believe that may be a beautiful, compelling query. So, let’s transfer from the query, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”, the assertion of that, into particular actions that folks can take. In the event that they discover that inspiring, how do they activate it of their work and profession?
Sarah Ellis: As common listeners will know, I am very anti manifesting or manifestation. So, I believe in the event you simply go, “Oh, by no means dwell the identical yr twice”, after which simply hope that can occur, in my expertise, that is not true. And so, I do assume you have to be extra intentional about that. However a few of what I’ll describe, I believe does really get fairly near manifesting. So, I believe there is a good essential problem that you just and a few of our listeners might possibly have of me right here, however I do assume they’re totally different. So, I believe a extremely good, propelling coach-yourself query right here is, “What do I need to be true in 12 months’ time that is not true at the moment?” And for that to work rather well, I actually advocate a thoughts map. Get these ideas out of your head, get them onto a little bit of paper.
The factor that I discover from doing that is naturally, maybe it is the way in which my mind works, by doing that fast-forwarding, you are fast-forwarding by means of your yr, you then naturally come again to the current day and go, “Effectively, what do I have to do now to put money into Future Sarah?” As a result of once more, more often than not you do have to look forward and take into consideration, I do not know, are there folks it’s worthwhile to speak to; do it’s worthwhile to spend a while on concepts; do it’s worthwhile to guide right into a course that you just actually need to do; no matter it is likely to be. And normally, you possibly can’t flip these issues on immediately. So, I do assume you want this second, or maybe I want this second, of pondering and reflection, the place I fast-forward, I get the thoughts map down, after which I believe I do the, “What? So, what now?” two questions. Or, “What does that imply for me?” And it is not like I map all of it out completely. I believe I’ve extra themes and territories. After which I form of do the ‘so what now’ and that will get me to some actions.
Then I’ve received three extra form of sensible actions. The primary one relies on — that is new for me this yr, so although I’ve recognized this quote for some time, this can be a new perception. And it is based mostly on a dialog I had earlier within the yr with Katy Milkman, a psychologist who’s actually fascinated with change and behavior change. And he or she talked about this concept of the fresh-start impact, which is actually any second could be a fresh-start impact, but it surely lets you possibly do one thing totally different or to attempt one thing out. So, a fresh-start impact may very well be September. So, if you’re listening to this in August, September is kind of a pure back-to-school, back-to-work second. Even when, I imply earlier than I had youngsters, I at all times went on vacation in September, however I nonetheless assume I got here again from vacation in September feeling fairly like, “Oh –“
Helen Tupper: It is so ‘new pencil case’, I like it!
Sarah Ellis: Yeah, so it may very well be a September, it may very well be a Monday, it might simply be one which’s based mostly in your life as in, “I am on vacation subsequent week, so my fresh-start impact goes to be subsequent Monday”.
Helen Tupper: My birthday, proper? It is my birthday this month. It may be a contemporary begin.
Sarah Ellis: Precisely, something like that. And I believe you should use that pondering as a immediate for locating small firsts. So, regardless that, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”, I believe feels fairly zoomed out, by no means dwelling the identical yr twice, plenty of that’s about discovering small firsts, doing issues in your week that you have not accomplished earlier than. And that may very well be a brand new method of working, experimenting with somebody, doing a gathering otherwise, a brand new piece of tech. If I take into consideration this yr to date, by no means dwelling the identical yr twice, I’ve experimented with extra know-how this yr than I most likely have within the final three years. And that is not all AI. I do know the default is, “That is all AI”. It is not all AI. It is utilizing video in two or three other ways, it is us fascinated by the podcast and the way know-how may also help with the podcast.
So, if that is concerning the ‘what’, like, “What are you doing?” when it comes to by no means dwelling the identical yr twice, my second motion is concerning the ‘who’, so, who may also help you to by no means dwell the identical yr twice? So, who’re you spending time with and just remember to’ve received sufficient newness and novelty. Generally they’re described as weak ties. So, the folks you do not know as properly, who know issues that you do not know and know people who you do not know. And the primary one which we described, the primary motion, that is simply me, like I am naturally extra like that. This second one wouldn’t occur, if I did not give it some thought. I do not need to meet anybody new actually. I am introverted, I’ve received some excellent associates, and I am very pleased with these folks. And so, what that then does is restrict your potential to by no means dwell the identical yr twice, since you’re limiting your studying, you are limiting your potentialities. So, I believe very consciously about, how do I do that; how do I discover new folks in new locations?
Truly, once I actually thought of this, for me, I take fairly a structured method. I am not a spontaneous particular person; once more, I do not hope it will occur; I take into consideration the communities I need to be a part of, the networks I need to be part of; I very deliberately do some issues exterior of Superb If actually with this in thoughts. So, if I take into consideration this yr and by no means dwelling the identical yr twice, I’ve actually thought of, I’ve joined two boards of two corporations exterior of Superb If. And a part of my motivation for that’s to be taught and to spend time with some totally different folks. I do know this yr I am not going to dwell the identical yr twice as a result of I am spending a few of my time with an employee-owned belief, an organisation that has transitioned to being an employee-owned belief, and being on the board of an organization in a method that I’ve not accomplished earlier than.
It is typically really not about my day job. Truly, that was my different remark. Every part I checked out round not dwelling the identical yr twice, across the who, was at all times stuff that went past my day-to-day and was extra about my growth.
Helen Tupper: I suppose being on the opposite aspect of it, as somebody that does work with you within the day job, I see that come again. Like, by spending time with these folks, it then ends in doing issues totally different within the day job. So, I positively see how that loops round. What is the closing motion?
Sarah Ellis: Effectively, the ultimate motion is one which I do not assume I do very properly. So, I believed I might share it as a form of hole that I’ve received. So, I believed I’ve received the ‘what’ and the ‘who’, after which I believe by no means dwelling the identical yr twice can also be a bit concerning the ‘the place’. So, selection is one among my values and I get plenty of vitality from spending time somewhere else and areas. And so, generally I believe by no means dwelling the identical yr twice is about visiting new locations, or simply spending time in new locations and being actually impressed by that. And I had a second in my profession the place I did that loads, and I’m beginning to creep, I’m creeping again or rediscovering, which sounds much less bizarre, I’m rediscovering that, I believe, for myself. And I believe to once more be type to your self, it’s more durable to do. It was more durable to do initially of our firm and if you’ve received actually younger youngsters. Now my child is a bit older and I’ve received a bit extra assist, I can take into consideration this once more, I believe. And I do, I discover this very inspiring for myself and for my profession, but additionally only for my life.
So, one reflection I wrote down was that I’ve by no means been to the British Library, ever. And I used to be pondering, “I really feel like that is my non secular house”. I utilized for a job on the British Library as soon as, did not even get an interview. However if you’re like, there is no cause why I’ve not accomplished that? It is in London, I dwell close to London, I’ve walked previous it, I do know the place it’s, and I am fairly positive you possibly can simply go in, I believe. Even if you cannot, I will simply go and be part of. I would love a membership card for the British Library.
Helen Tupper: Any closing phrases on by no means dwelling the identical yr twice for our listeners?
Sarah Ellis: I believe do not feel pressured to essentially undergo this course of by your self. I’m fairly particular person and fairly impartial in my method, so I do plenty of pondering on my own. However I do have a Helen in my life to form of run issues by. However once more, I do not run plenty of these items by Helen, to be trustworthy. You are identical to, “No”! However I believe that’s form of distinctive to me, and different folks may work in that method as properly, however I believe this can be a sensible factor that you could possibly do with somebody you actually belief. This can be a great point to speak by means of with a mentor, great point to speak about with somebody simply you belief at work and also you get on rather well with. In the event you each related with this quote, have some conversations round it. Do not feel such as you form of have to do that solo. I am at all times fairly conscious that I am fairly a solo particular person.
Helen Tupper: However you’re a beautiful particular person and I be taught loads out of your solo reflection. And so, that’s the finish of at the moment’s episode. It is the second in our sequence. So, within the first one, I talked about, “Run your individual race”; we have clearly simply accomplished, “By no means dwell the identical yr twice”; and in our third episode within the sequence, I am going again to my quote, which is, “Problem your limits, do not restrict your challenges”, and Sarah shall be asking me some questions to know that quote a bit extra.
Sarah Ellis: Trying ahead to it. I am having fun with these conversations. Fairly a pleasant change of format for the summer time. Thanks a lot for listening everybody, again with you once more quickly and bye for now.
Helen Tupper: Bye everyone.
