Success Story: John

Perhaps the most intriguing part of this success story is that when John came to me for help, he was already in his sixties and had already achieved a lot. His job was good, and his life was good. But with my help, he went on to find the position of his dreams.

Despite being great at his job and enjoying his work, John was made redundant when his company merged with another. John had built up savings over the years from his £150k salary and invested in some properties to let. But, his primary source of income was suddenly gone.

During our initial consultation, John told me that he wasn't sure what to do. A property portfolio was an option, but it wasn't what he wanted. The question that carried the real importance was:

"If you had to pick a dream job and company to work with, what would you go for?"

It turned out that there was a large, international, nonprofit company that John would love to work for. The problem was, they weren't hiring. I told him to give them a call and ask - after all, if you don't ask, you'll never know.

John spoke to one of the executives over the phone, and they bonded when John's admiration for the work they do became clear. The executive asked him to come in and talk. He confirmed that they weren't hiring but would love to have him on board sometime in the future.

John met with me next week and said, "I told you, they're not hiring - there's nothing that I can do".

I asked him if he'd consider volunteering there for a short while. He had savings and some income from his properties. John agreed, so he called the executive back and offered a proposition. To the amazement of the executive, John offered to volunteer there for free. His offer was accepted.

The time John spent volunteering proved to him that this was the place he wanted to be. He enjoyed his time, learnt new skills, found his motivation, and met a wide range of people. After nearly three months of volunteering, one of the executives was leaving the company.

Guess who was offered the newly open position?

Initially, John was unsure of taking sure a giant leap. After all, this role was much higher in the company than John had expected. It also came with a salary of almost half a million pounds - more than doubled than his previous £150k income! John took the offer and thrived in his new role proving that age is not a limit to success.

After just a few months of working together, John had changed his life. While I am proud to say that I helped guide John into his new role, John made the call, and John bonded with the executive. It was John who volunteered every day for months. He took the steps; now, he is reaping the rewards.

The moral of this success story?

Ask.

The first step can be challenging. But to get what you want, you have to start asking. Asking for what you want can be intimidating, and you don't have to start there. A small step is enough. Ask for help. Help to identify what you want, help to see your worth, help knowing where to begin.