By: Emily Hellam
Inara Dodhiya is making waves in the coaching industry, guiding small business owners and Fortune 500 executives alike in their careers and personal lives. Drawing from her own experiences of self-discovery, she encourages everyone to take a holistic view of what success means to them.
As a personal coach, published author, keynote speaker, and CEO of ID Solutions, Inara Dodhiya has an intimate relationship with achievement. Her path to personal and professional fulfilment was not always linear, but she has found her stride within the commitment to helping others find meaning in their careers and encourages her clients to embrace the road less-travelled. Read on for her blueprint of entrepreneurial accomplishment.
1. Take a Step Back
In the era of unbridled hustle-culture and unlimited access to images of other’s lives, it can be difficult to allow one’s self to press pause when something in one’s career feels unsound. Amplified by familial pressures or a guilt complex bolstered by a fear of failure, many concede to sunk-cost fallacy when contemplating a career switch.
Dodhiya is familiar with the acute pang of hesitation, noting her own anxieties and indecision whilst completing her education at the University of British Columbia.
“I changed my major almost every semester. It became an inside joke with my family, every time I called them, they would ask ‘Which one is it this time?'” Beginning her degree and career in project management and sales, Dodhiya felt connected to the spirit of entrepreneurship but lacked the deeper sense of meaning she desired. “I wanted to go deeper within myself. I continued to change majors, but nothing resembled what I wanted. And then I took a break, I took a gap year. I needed to go back to the workforce, where I could get exposure to different industries and see if something screamed at me: ‘This is your calling!'”
When it feels like success relies on completing a standardized checklist of actions, wavering from that path is daunting, to put it lightly. However, what is more terrifying: taking a pause to objectively find a path with meaning or spending your limited time never actualizing your potential?
2. Honor Your Passions
Many have heard the advice, “Do what you love, and the money will follow,” but how many actually make a commitment to this sentiment? Despite the encouragement that message holds, people may have been told by society, family, or themselves that their dreams are frivolous and unattainable.
While your childhood projection of becoming an astronaut may have been tempered by an inability to comprehend high school calculus, Dodhiya says people should all pay attention to their intrinsic interests and strengths, even if it requires intense self-reflection. What may have drawn you to the idea of an astronaut in the first place was your love for exploration and an interest in science. There are many professions besides being an astronaut that involve these traits, but your current position as a car salesman might not be satiating your needs.
Dodhiya says if your passions and career are at odds with one another, it’s time to dig deep and accept what you really want. “I was looking in the wrong direction, so I sat down with myself. What are my passions? I love being on the stage, I love to help people. I love having meaningful conversations, and I love having an influence. I wrote these things down, thinking about what I could do with them in terms of a career. In the end, coaching was the thing that fit all the criteria. And although it sounds so simple, it took a lot of time, patience and self-acceptance.”
3. Forge Your Own Path
The road well-traveled may be easy to follow, but it was originally carved by those creating their own track. By meandering down this trail and never turning your head, you may miss out on opportunities to explore an entirely new reality.
However, those who set out on their own winding way are often treated with contempt by those who didn’t have the courage to do the same, and may present unique overwhelming obstacles to the one treading it. Dodhiya says despite appearances, even those who choose traditional career paths are grappling with themselves.
When she left school to discover what she truly wanted, “I was struggling with confidence, struggling to find peace with not following a traditional path or being behind everyone else. But now that I’ve spoken to [those] on a traditional path, a lot of them don’t know what they’re doing. They do computer science or HR because they thought that was the only option or that’s what their parents wanted. The cost of unconventional? A few raised eyebrows and maybe a lost GPS signal, but the destination? Well, that’s a place called “Exactly Where I Should Be,” and the view from here is downright priceless.”
4. Find Your “Why”
Similarly to honoring your passions, finding your “why” involves creating a list of the reasons you’re in your current career, why you may want something else, or why your interests are sparked by certain things.
Dodhiya explains that regardless of whether your “why” is materialistic or geared towards altruism, the important thing is staying true to yourself. “At the end of every day, that’s what matters. Don’t just do things. If you don’t have an answer to your ‘why’ or if the answer isn’t making sense to you, it’s okay. Even though it might be difficult, taking the first step is everything. Just close your eyes and ask yourself, ‘Why?'”
5. Indulge in Your Safe Spaces
Lastly, Dodhiya emphasizes the importance of personal renewal in your comfort space. “Once you’re recharged, new ideas and solutions come to you.”
You can’t muster the energy to enact positive change within your life if you neglect well-rounded self-care outside of your career. While this may look different to everyone, in the form of family, hobbies, religion, et cetera, it’s of paramount importance to all.
To begin forging your own path with Inara Dodhiya, head to ID Solutions
Published by: Martin De Juan
