Melissa NicholsoN INTRO
MELISSA NICHOLSON: All of us when we’re thinking about making a big change in our lives, have that pesky little friend standing on our shoulder. Fear. And today I want to talk about how to get yourself unstuck.
Introduction
INTRO: Welcome to Job Share Revolution. The show about job sharing—a partnership between two people to bring two minds and skill sets to one full-time position. I’m Melissa Nicholson, former job sharer turned founder of the first U.S. job share company. But it wasn’t long ago that I felt like an utter failure at work and as a new parent. Job sharing was my game-changer. I reclaimed four days a week to fully engage in my life while my capable partner handled everything. Together, we achieved more than I ever could solo. Fast forward to many lessons learned to bring you the training and support I wish I’d had to change lives and the modern-day workplace. Let’s live life and slay work.
Melissa NICHOLSON
MELISSA NICHOLSON: Welcome back to Job Share Revolution. I’m so glad you are here. Can you do me a favor before we get started? You know, my goal is to help as many people reach their work-life goals as possible. Could you share this episode with a friend who might be feeling a little stuck or scared about taking that next right step, and they just need a little pep talk to get there? It would mean so much to me. Thank you.
Hello, friend. I wanted to bring you a little pep talk today in our minisode. I think it’s safe to say that all of us, when we’re thinking about making a big change in our lives, have that pesky little friend standing on our shoulder. Fear. And today, I want to talk about how to get yourself unstuck. It’s easier than you think.
Words of ADvice
And I promise 100% when you are making a big change in your life, you’re not going to regret it. I remember when I started my production company, and I was really young. I was like 25. I started the production company because I wanted to be a full-time actor. And I thought, if I can get my SAG-AFTRA, if I can work my time off, I can put in all my jobs here in Austin and move to New York or LA and become an actor.
And I remember my dad saying something to me. He said I never regretted the things I did. The things I took a chance on, the things I jumped into. I regretted the things I didn’t do. And that always really stuck with me.
So I’m hoping that this episode can give you the words that you need to help you take the leap of faith to find work that works for you, to create a life of your own design, one where you’re able to separate and prioritize work and life, and bring your best to each area. Not because you’re a high achiever, not because you’re a go-getter. Because you deserve to enjoy every little morsel of this life that we have. It’s so finite. And our time to do what really lights us up? That’s also finite.
Well, I want you to have self-compassion. And in the past few years, with everything coming our way from every different direction, I think it is important to forgive yourself for not hitting your goals in a timely way.
My Family Caregiver Story
I know I’ve had to do this in my life. We got whammy with sandwich generation caregiving. We had kids at home during the pandemic who were struggling through remote learning, and I had a father-in-law who was in failing health and in and out of hospitals. And my mom showed up on my doorstep, and she had Alzheimer’s disease. We had no idea. And instantly, overnight, I became her caregiver. While your challenges might have been very different the last couple of years. Every single one of us has been through a lot. Shoot. I got kicked out of my own job. Even though I am the boss. I had to focus on my mom for a period of time.
Why Self-Love, SElf-Compassion, and Grace Matter
So I want you, first and foremost, to just forgive yourself and give yourself a lot of self-love and grace. If you haven’t hit the goals that you set for yourself in a timely way, we are at a tipping point right now. So many people are teetering on whether to quit, even if they don’t have a job lined up. And we are careening toward a recession. It’s like we don’t know what to do in this economy. The pandemic was so unpredictable. People were laid off, and then they were hired back with big braces because there was a shortage. And now it’s looking like people are going to be laid off again. I don’t want to scare you. I want to prepare you well.
I want you to have self-love, self-compassion, and give yourself a lot of grace. I don’t want you sputtering and stalling out. I want you to map out a plan and make a commitment to take daily action, to hit your big move at work or in your life, whether that’s going for and getting a raise, changing jobs, or getting your freakin job share.
Take Time, Map a Play, and Don’t Get Derailed
But here’s the deal. Don’t take too much time, okay? Make a deal with me. If you take too much time, you will lose the mojo. You need to make that change. Learn from me. I thought about job sharing. I have pursued it before. Kids forgot about it for a little bit. Came back to it when I was getting back into radio. Derailed my plan because middle-aged white men in middle management made it clear that they didn’t want any more job shares.
My Motivating Push to Job Share
And then I got my motivation push when I came back from maternity leave, and I was a complete wreck. I could not manage my life or my work in that fast-paced go go go go, go type career where I was working 40-50 hours a week. It wasn’t just the number of hours a week, it was the demands of the job. I don’t want you to be a wreck. Don’t do that. Learn from me.
Put Your Goal on a Sticky Note to Take Daily Action
I want you to grab a piece of paper and a pen or a sticky note. And I want you to write down the date for your big goal. When you are going to put it in place. Put it up where you will see it every single day. I’m going to quit my job on this date. I’m going to begin job sharing on this date. I’m going to get my raise on this date. I’m going to get a promotion and a job share on this date. You can, by the way, the next thing I want you to do is make a promise to yourself.
I want you to take daily action to get to that goal. It’s not that you don’t need a plan to get there, friend. You do. But remember, men will apply to jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications. Women don’t apply unless they meet 100%. Don’t make this mistake.
Be a man. Be a man. Be a man in your brain because you need to go for it. I want you to do it before you feel 100% ready to do it. You don’t have to have every single checkbox checked. You don’t have to have every T crossed in every I dot it. You just have to know what your goal is and take daily action to get there. And then you need to jump in. I want you to do it before you’re 100% ready.
Take Action & A Leap Of Faith Before You’re Ready
Will you know exactly what your job share is going to look like before you start working with your partner every single week? No. Will you have some little bumps in the road as you get started? Yes. Will you be working on your communication system? Your handover system? Yes. Will your manager feel completely confident in your job share before you get going? Maybe. Maybe not.
But I will prepare you 100% so that in a very short period of time, they’re going to see the massive benefits that your job share brings them. How productive, how focused, how happy you are. What go-getters you and your partner are. How on top of and ahead of deadlines you are. The creative ideas that just seem to flow out of you. How incredible you are as a team. And how you professionally develop one another and bring so much more to every single member on your team.
Do it before you’re 100% ready. Take the leap of faith. I’m going to say that again because it’s so important. Job sharing takes a leap of faith. Write down the date you will accomplish your big, audacious career goal. Take daily action to get there. Create a plan. Be flexible about it and move through your fear to go for it.
Job Share Academy
DSE. Do something different to get the job. The promotion. Change careers. Change industries and job share in it. You’ve got to do it. Scared. And you can do it, my friend. Now you probably know that the doors are open for my program, Job Share Academy. It’s an incredible program, and it’s designed specifically for people just like you, busy go-getters who are highly committed to their professions, who want to work in a high-impact role and just do it in less time. It is the step-by-step blueprint designed to give you the most support possible. Hands-on support from me weekly and an incredible cohort of folks just like you, taking over a nine week period of time to help you validate your job share, find your job share partner, and create the business case for your job share in a way that your boss is going to jump at this opportunity and overcome any objections that might come your way.
I was in sales for 15 years. This is my wheelhouse. I know how to help you overcome any objections that may come your way. I know how to help you pivot and have a plan A, plan B, and most importantly, when you and your partner are ready to go, you will have the best practices to on-ramp your job share with ease from day one.
So I hope you join me inside of the program. And if you decide not to join me, that’s okay. But I want you to make this promise. Whatever your goal is. I want you to make that change in your life this year. This is your year. Do it faster than you think. You’re ready to do it and do it scared.
Closing
Just like my dad told me, “You will not regret the things that you did, you’ll only regret the things that you didn’t do.” Whether you join me or not in the program, I want you to know I’m sending you a lot of love and all the good mojo and energy to hit each and every one of your big life-changing goals for the year.
Let’s not even call them goals. You’re big moves. You’ve got big moves to make, my friend. And you deserve to make these big moves in your life. Just simply by existing and being a human being who cares for others and who cares for yourself, you deserve to have a life and a career that you love. Sending you all my love.
I hope this many said it was just what you needed today to get unstuck and make your big work. Life moves. Whatever your goal may be. Whether you make the decision to join me inside of Job share Academy or not, I’m with you. I’m cheering you on every step of the way, and I hope this pep talk gave you the crystal you needed.
You can find the show notes with links for episode ten at workmuse.com/10. See you next Thursday. Same time, same place. Bye for now.
