Following Your Career Path Using Your Superpower with Joy and Belma McCaffrey
On this episode of Financially Naked: Stories from The Financial Gym, Joy, Head of Trainer Academy, is joined by one of her long-time friends, Belma McCaffrey, Founder of Work Bigger. Belma’s story resonates with Joy and a lot of the clients that come through The Financial Gym. Today, they’re talking about finding your ‘superpower’ and how you can use that to connect to your life’s purpose. For anyone who is looking to make a change or is asking the question, ‘what do I want to do with my life?’ this conversation is not one you’ll want to miss.
Podcast Notes
Work Bigger is for dissatisfied big achievers, asking the question, ‘What do I want to do with my life?’ It is the resource Belma needed in her 20’s. At the time, she struggled to know what she wanted to do with her career but knew she wanted to make an impact. When she went back to business school, Belma quickly realized she was not the only person with this problem. Work Bigger was born to be the solution and is helpful for people who feel a little lost.
Joy works with a number of clients who go through this struggle. A huge aspect of building a financial plan is setting goals that are meaningful to you. Once it’s clear what those goals are, it’s easier to set action steps and make them happen. Changing your mindset without knowing the bigger purpose can be challenging.
Joy asks Belma to define ‘superpower’ and why it’s important to know what yours is.
It’s ‘what do I care about, and why?’ Your thumbprint, or what really makes you unique. It’s about identifying what is the special value that you can add to this world. Once we know and understand our superpowers, they can be activated.
How do you start the process of finding your superpower?
Belma has a class that goes into more detail: linked here, but shares the highlights.
There are four clues: emotions, actions, feedback, & understanding your WHY.
Emotions: What are you doing when you’re feeling in the flow? We have positive and negative responses, identify what you’re doing when you are feeling positive.
Actions: What do you find yourself doing when you’re in a place of flow? Understand that behavior.
Feedback: What are other people reflecting back to you your superpower is?
Your WHY: Understanding who you are and what drives you. Once you’re clear on that, you can get more clear on the work you do every day.
It’s a journey of self-discovery and is totally normal to not have all the answers without going through the process.
Joy asks, ‘How did you get to the clues and what are your superpowers that lead you to Work Bigger?’
It took Belma a lot of work to figure out the four clues and did so by tapping into her own journey. She thought her dissatisfaction with the workplace was the workplace’s fault. But she pivoted and started having conversations with people in similar situations, connecting with them mentally and emotionally.
She started by reading a lot of books including What Color is my Parachute? and Big Book of Jobs. She thought if she could see the job, something would click for her.
She spent time researching and speaking with therapists and coaches. She put together a beta and it was a culmination of worksheets and questions that she was working on with other people.
Understanding your emotional landscape is foundational. Before the resume, the cover letter, or any of that, the foundation must be built. Navigating the external world is easier once the internal compass is set.
Joy asks, ‘What are some emotional or behavioral cues that led you to this work and guiding others?’
Belma has always gravitated towards the big picture, strategic thinking, which comes into play when she is coaching clients. She feels energized and connected when she is teaching, speaking, and supporting clients.
Joy talks about how guiding people through a transformation or action that they wanted to do, but couldn’t quite make happen themselves.
She gets to meet people where they are, ask questions, and present solutions. It’s about finding pathways to accomplish the things they want with more ease. She previously worked in advertising and uses the skills from that job in this role, which is more fulfilling for Joy.
Belma talks about how they encounter this a lot at Work Bigger. Working a job that is unfulfilling or one that isn’t helping with your financial goals can be a real barrier in the process. Using what you’re naturally good at can help propel you to your goals.
Joy asks Belma what are some common struggles people are facing when they join Work Bigger? What inspires them to join?
Money and career are so connected. Belma talks about how they see a mindset and fear around money at Work Bigger. There’s a fear of pivoting because making a change has financial impacts. It’s important to have a healthy mindset around money and leverage a career that will serve your life and your well-being. With clarity comes the ability to make more intentional decisions. You don’t have to stay at a job that isn’t paying you enough or is unfulfilling.
Joy asks Belma to share some of the pivots and transitions she’s witnessed.
They see people launching their own businesses and projects. Sometimes what they thought was going to take years, they’re able to accomplish in a few months. Others make smaller pivots because they realize they don’t need a huge change. They see it all at Work Bigger.
What really matters is that each individual is clear on what they want. The best thing that can happen through this process is discovering what’s best for you.
There are stories out there where people make it happen really quickly, but that’s not most people’s reality. At Work Bigger, the focus is on following the path in a healthy and sustainable way. Belma didn’t jump into Work Bigger full-time, she was able to do it by cutting back from her full-time job.
Through the process of discovery, you may find what lights you up isn’t necessarily related to your work. The corporate job can be more bearable when you know it’s a tool to help you do what really lights you up. It doesn’t have to check every box.
The superpower can take different forms. Knowing your superpower is wonderful and it can come up in other areas of your life, like a side hustle or hobby.
Work Bigger has a free class about how to find your superpower. It goes through the internal process but also how to manifest that into the world. What does that look like, is it your next job, a new business, or something out. It helps you let go of the pressure and helps you find a way to feel connected every day as much as possible.
If you’re looking to dig in and find your superpower, check out workbigger.co and register for the FREE class.
Connect with Work Bigger
Website: Work Bigger
Instagram: @workbigger
LinkedIn: Belma McCaffrey
Meet The Trainer
Joy Liu, Certified Level 2 Financial Trainer & Head of Trainer Academy