10/24/2025
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁
𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 & 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴
Lately, several clients have said the same thing to me, almost word-for-word:
“I don’t know what I want to do next.”
It’s a sentence that carries weight.
Frustration, fear, sometimes embarrassment.
And often… quiet hope.
I know this terrain.
Because I’m standing in it too.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲
After years of managing a chronic spinal condition, I was told I’d need surgery. But first, I’d have to lose weight, 60 pounds, the doctor said. As of this writing I’m down 70 pounds. And now I’m scheduled for a procedure that will decompress the nerves that have been crushed in my lower back for years.
He won’t do the full operation, only a partial one. Enough to relieve the pain. But not enough to fix everything.
It’s complicated.
But the most complicated part hasn’t been physical.
It’s been sitting in the stillness, waiting for this to happen, and asking:
𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?
𝗢𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽, 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲?
This is not a rare question.
It’s the question behind the question.
The one clients come to me with, in one form or another.
They don’t always say, “S𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦?”
Sometimes they say,
“𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴?”
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳?”
“𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴?”
These questions don’t arrive with clear answers.
But they are often the beginning of reinvention.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.
And no courage without reflection.
Over the years, I’ve used dozens of tools with clients, values inventories, interest assessments, purpose models. Sometimes they help. Other times, they land flat.
Recently, I came across a simple ChatGPT prompt a colleague shared:
“Suggest five career paths that align with someone who has experience in [X] and wants to move into [Y].”
It’s a fun prompt.
It’s useful.
And it only scratches the surface.
Clarity can indeed come from clever prompts.
And it also comes from asking real questions, ones that help you feel your way forward.
If you’re in that murky, liminal, in-between space right now… start here.
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀
For when you’re asking 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵
𖧹 What kinds of work make me feel the most alive, engaged, or at ease?
𖧹 What drains me, emotionally, physically, spiritually, no matter how competent I am?
𖧹 When was the last time I lost track of time while doing something meaningful?
𖧹 What am I most proud of in the past year and why?
𖧹 What do people come to me for, over and over again?
𖧹 If I weren’t afraid of what others might think, what would I try?
𖧹 What kind of problems do I enjoy solving?
𖧹 What lights me up when I talk about it?
These questions aren’t about your job title.
They’re about your life energy.
Your aliveness.
Your next truth.
But there’s a caveat...
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Not everyone can take a sabbatical.
Not everyone wants to retire, even if their body is asking them to slow down.
This part matters too.
Because clarity without context is a luxury.
We need both truth and reality in the room.
So if you're asking hard questions with money in the mix, try these instead:
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀
For when 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘺𝘦𝘵)
𖧹 What do I absolutely need to earn to meet my responsibilities, and where is there actual flexibility?
𖧹 Could I reshape what I already know into a consulting or advisory offer?
𖧹 What would a "bridge role" look like, something that pays the bills but makes space for what I’m becoming?
𖧹 What am I holding onto out of fear, rather than desire?
𖧹 Where could I simplify, streamline, or offload, so I’m not running at full tilt?
𖧹 Who do I need to have a real conversation with so it doesn’t stay only in my head? Partner, financial planner, mentor,…
We don't often talk about this.
But it’s one of the most courageous things you can do:
To say, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤.
Courage isn’t just about quitting.
Sometimes, it’s about planning.
𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.
But I’m asking better questions.
That, in itself, is momentum.
Whether you're in transition, transformation, or just trying to stay afloat…you’re not alone.
This work is hard.
But it’s also sacred.
Because it’s the work of reclaiming who you are, not just what you do.
𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂.
𖧹 Which question stayed with you?
𖧹 What’s one truth you’ve been circling lately?
If you're stuck, tired, curious, or unsure, please feel free to reach out. I’m here to help you sort through the noise.
Email: [email protected]