Career transitions are seldom easy and rarely happen overnight. Often, a change in direction is connected to another shift that leads you on a totally different path.
Loss of loved ones, health issues, relationships, a job, or even a beloved pet can be catalysts for professional change. During COVID-19, workers got a taste for the conveniences and flexibility of working from home, which gave way to improved life balance and personal work-related expense reductions such as transportation, eating out, and dry-cleaning costs.
But sometimes, an event causes an internal chain reaction and takes us down a completely different route. For me, that was an autism diagnosis.
After years of fighting upstream battles in the professional world just to stay ahead and finding myself in a perpetual sea of professional turmoil, a situation manifested itself and provided me the opportunity to get to the root cause of my frustrations.
Working with renowned adult ASD expert, Dr. Stuart Robinson of livemoresimply.com, I learned I am high functioning Asperger’s with ADHD, otherwise known as 2e or Twice Exceptional. High functioning Aspies (a moniker used to describe those of us who embrace our condition) typically have two or more “superpower” skills that set us apart, regardless of our Spectrum disorder. These abilities sometimes exist despite our neurological wiring differences. These skillsets can make us experts in our chosen fields because we lean into our strengths instead of fighting against our weaknesses.
Upon learning this in January 2023, my entire perspective and reality changed.
I needed to make decisions regarding medication; I chose not to medicate.
Alterations to my personal health habits meant I needed to tune in to my anxiety, energy, and fatigue as signals to slow down and do less rather than push my body further just because my racing mind had things to do.
Educational pursuits are taking me in a whole new direction. One of my superpowers is communication; more specifically, I excel in the written word. My second skill strength is strategy. Together these skills can be used to help people find direction, develop plans, and allow for candid conversations about what is possible and what needs to change to accomplish end goals.
Previously, I wanted to purse my PhD in Organizational Development, but after my diagnosis, I realized it wasn’t corporations who need my voice; it’s the people inside them that do, so I will shift my pursuits towards Communications so I can diversely pivot to leverage multiple venues for my coaching message.
Develop and nurture my creative hobbies and interests. I’m no artist but I love art. Dutch Moore Living’s brick and mortar is upgrading to a larger space and the website will soon follow. I realized I’ve been thinking and working too small, and that’s preventing my growth, so now I expand.
Physical and mental wellbeing are not optional; they’re requirements. Especially important with multiple plates spinning in the air.
Find joy in the current everyday work environment. I am blessed to work for a great company that accommodates my ASD while embracing the benefits of how my brain works differently from my peers. While my diagnosis has inspired me to pursue a new path, I still have a lot to learn and give to my current chosen path. Luckily, I have both the opportunity and environment for both.
I will write more about ASD and the workplace in upcoming articles. For now, the message I want to share is to never overlook the minor details of the hints you receive. That constant nagging, frustration, or repetitive in-loop scenario could be pointing you in an entirely different direction.