A little over a decade ago, I had a life-defining experience of career burnout (It isn’t very comforting to appreciate how quickly that time has gone!). Following this experience, I did a lot of soul-searching and became fascinated by how we can experience more meaningful and joyful careers.

Much of where I am today was cultivated through experiences-both good and bad during my career and the benefit of training and support from incredible mentors, coaches and teachers.

Reflecting over the last ten years got me thinking about what I’d love to say to that stressed, anxious and stuck younger version of me.

So here are ten things that the ten years younger version of me needed to know.

Maybe it's what you need to hear too?

Keeping a thoughts journal can be a helpful way of making your negative self-talk more visible to you.

There are many different approaches to journaling your thoughts, but I’ve found that a structured approach can be helpful, especially if this is new to you.

If you struggle with overthinking, the following method is perfect for you.

If you want to set goals that light you up, add value to the world, show up better at work, be more confident and courageous, connect with others, make better decisions and be a better leader. You may want to focus less on self-improvement and more on self-awareness.

Self-awareness is like great sex. Everyone thinks they have tons of it, but in reality, no one knows what they are doing.

It's very easy to believe you are self-aware even when you're not. One of the main reasons for this is that there are two sides to self-awareness. Often, we develop one side and don't focus enough on the other.

I want more for you. I want more for all of us. That's why I want to share what I have learned with you.

Imposter Syndrome manifest differently in different people but commonly leaves us feeling, despite all evidence to the contrary, that somehow who we are is not enough, and there will be terrible consequences if anyone ever finds out who we really are – not a fun way to live and work!

The reason for the link between imposter syndrome and burnout is the high levels of stress and anxiety that result when competent employees feel like they are a fraud, and this drives them to feel like they constantly need to attain to feel safe and accepted, even when they've already proven themselves capable.