My name is Cami. If we haven’t met before, allow me a brief introduction. I am the founder of MillenniAlign , a Millennial-powered life and career coaching business for Millennials and Gen Zs. My mission is to embolden these generations to achieve their dreams and realize abundance for themselves.
Why Millennials and Gen Zs? Because I am one, and I know how we function in school and the workplace. As an executive who’s hired, led, and worked with multigenerational teams, I get it from the business-side too: We are a unique demographic, something to embrace- not fear! I’m going to share a personal story about how, by getting real with myself, I developed a process that can help my fellow Millennials and Gen Zs get confident and close the gap between them and their goals.
It Gets Real (@Be Careful What You Wish For [Because You Might Love It])
Think of someone who fits your definition of fulfilled. How does this person approach life, regardless of situation or obstacle? With joy and levity, right? Well, I used to get pretty annoyed with those people. Not because I didn’t like them; they were usually peaceful and uncompetitive. In fact, they had the confidence of knowing their personal missions in life and were happy about it. I wanted to know how to get there too.
As a recovering chronic “joiner”—meaning that, if you invited me to the table, I’d be there before you finished asking the question—I struggled saying no to others. I thought saying yes was the path to success—even if on others’ terms. Superficially, this had served me well: I quickly advanced in my profession and volunteer activities. I was excellent at rising to challenges and achieving big… For others. I just wasn’t clear on what was fulfilling to me or what my true path was, particularly since I wasn’t one of those ‘joy-and-levity’ people.
I read books and listened to podcasts. I went to a life-coach ‘lite.’ I shed one of my largest volunteer responsibilities, freeing up roughly twenty hours a week. I built in the practice of meditation. When I least expected it one morning, something finally shifted, and a game-changing thought popped into my head: “I wish I had a second life so I could do this more frequently and be the person I want to be.”
You know that sound of a needle scraping over a record abruptly to stop the music? That’s the noise I heard in my mind. My interim purpose had become fulfilling others’ purposes.
I realized at that moment that my internal voice was right. Something had to give. I resolved to disrupt me, immediately, and in a strategic way that could help others like me.
Disrupting Your Life = Discovering Your Path
That day, I resigned from anything that I was serving more than it was serving me. I used the space and time that I gained to focus on my foundation and the pursuit of purpose. I approached my development with a dual compass: feeling (gut and heart) and thinking (data). Using my background as a quality improvement practitioner combined with my years of spiritual study, I created an agile, data-driven process toward personal discovery, goal-setting, and transformation. Through months of research, experimentation, and reflection, I developed the Aim, and Align process, my own blend of quality improvement and spiritual practice tools that I use in my one-on-one coaching practice, MillenniAlign.
The Aim, and Align Process: A Data-Driven Framework for Self-Improvement…with Guts
The Aim, and Align process is all about getting reconnected with your best friend: you. (If you don’t think you are your best friend, that’s a hint that this process might be beneficial for you.) It’s a no-BS approach to discovering what your personal mission is, how confident you are (or aren’t), and how you want to deploy your skills in life and the workplace in a way that’s meaningful and fulfilling to you. We determine this using the Aim, and Align process: a design that’s curated to meet you where you are, and at your speed, as well as improve your confidence while moving you forward.
We start by discussing your desired outcome. Are you graduated but unsure in what direction to go? Are you looking to make a career change? Are you just generally bored with life and your life path is foggy? As your coach, I work with you to think big together, explore about your dreams (practicing non-judgment), and land on a goal that feels right to you. Together, we begin outlining your current state, such as your values, habits, and time management, and then assess what’s driving you toward—or away from—your goals. Then, we put together a measurable plan to get you confident and aligned with your desired end state. My job is to support you by offering encouragement, structure, frameworks for change, and objective, non-judgmental accountability so that you can grow and thrive with confidence.
I’ll be honest, because I’ve been there, and I’ve coached others who’ve been there too: It’s not easy. It’s actually pretty damn hard. It’s therapeutic, but it’s not therapy. It’s encouraging and friendly, but you still have to work hard and do really uncomfortable things like acknowledge and tear down self-imposed walls, say no when you would have normally said yes (or vice versa), and get really intimate with how you spend your most precious resources (and with whom). Transformation isn’t designed to be easy, particularly without support; if it were, it would already be done, right?
Are you a Millennial or Gen Z Who is Ready to Make a Change?
If you’re a Millennial or Gen Z who is seeking confidence and desires to re-vision or realign your personal or professional goals, set up a FREE consultation with me at https://millennialign.com/book. We’ll discuss your goals, where you are in your goal progression, and how I can best support you in achieving your path. Together, we will select a plan that meets you where you are. Consultation is done via video call (Skype, Facetime, or Duo) or in-person if local to Toledo. The pricing and structure of how we’ll work with you is totally transparent so you know what to expect. The Sight and Flight packages are contracted in 2-month intervals, allowing you to work at your pace in a planful way that fits your schedule. Click here (https://millennialign.com/packages) to learn more about pricing. Bonus: Everyone who signs up for a Sight or Flight package gets a copy of Jen Sincero’s book, You Are A Badass Everyday (2018)!
Many, if not most, successful people have coaches in some form to help guide them toward their desired goal. Athletes have coaches. Actors have coaches. Writers have coaches. Administrators have coaches. Small business owners have coaches. CEOs have coaches. People naturally progress when they’re confident, motivated, supported, and held accountable on their terms. There is space for you at whatever table you desire, for whatever fulfills you. Get ready to get real.
Casual Bystander? (@ Not Ready Yet or Not a Millennial or Gen Z?)
Not ready yet? Or, not a Millennial or Gen Z, but interested in learning more about how you can work with, learn about, and support the two youngest generations in the workforce? Stay in touch. Sign up for my Weekly Insight emails at https://millennialign.com/, and like, follow, and share MillenniAlign on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MillenniAlign), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/millennialign), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/millennialign/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/MillenniAlign). Help me broaden this conversation, as well as be a resource to Millennials and Gen Zs who need it individually.
…P.S.: Why a Coach? Can’t I Rely on a Friend or Family Member?
You should absolutely lean on the friends and family in your life who are affirming, honest, and loving, and who have your best interests (as defined by you) in mind at all times. Working with a coach, however, is a bit different. While friends and family can offer similar support, a coach does so in a way that is more objective than someone close to you. (Again, non-judgment.) Coaches also have a defined relationship with their clients that protects clients’ confidentiality. Your journey remains your journey, and coaches are ready and enthusiastic supports with the tools to help you realize your path.
Millennials will make up 50% of the workforce by 2020, giving us the opportunity to re-shape traditional work environments. Just when you thought you figured out Millennials, Generation Z is now entering the workforce. A whopping 72.8 million individuals are included in this group born between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s.
Join Cami and few other speakers for discussion at this month Women Economic Empowerment luncheon: The Future of Work on August 29th. More info here : https://2019wee3.eventbrite.com