Sometimes you know you want something different.
A different career.
More income.
More flexibility.
A business of your own.
Maybe even a completely different way of living.
But knowing you want something different and having the mental capacity to create a plan for it are two very different things.
I’ve been thinking about this after several conversations I’ve had recently.
Sometimes we assume that when someone stays in a job, career, or situation they no longer want, it’s because they haven’t figured out what they want next.
But I’m realizing there can be another problem hiding underneath it:
They’re overwhelmed.
Overwhelm Can Keep You Stuck
When you’re using most of your mental energy just trying to manage the life you already have, figuring out how to change that life can feel impossible.
You’re trying to keep up with work.
Your home needs attention.
Your family needs you.
There are appointments, emails, laundry, responsibilities, bills and approximately 72 unfinished thoughts floating around in your brain. 😂
Then someone tells you:
“You should look for another job.”
Great.
When?
And with what brain? 😂
Because changing your career requires more than wanting change.
You have to think.
You have to research.
You have to make decisions.
You may need to update your résumé, learn a new skill, reposition your experience, apply for jobs, build a business, make connections or create an entirely new plan.
All of that requires capacity.
And when you’re already overwhelmed, even something you desperately want can become another unfinished task.
So you stay.
Not necessarily because you’ve decided your current situation is right for you.
Sometimes you stay because you’re too overwhelmed to figure out how to leave it.
Sometimes the First Step Isn’t Your Résumé
I’ve experienced this in my own life.
For too many years, I allowed overwhelm to interfere with my ability to move forward.
And one of the biggest things I’ve learned is this:
Sometimes the first step toward your next career move isn’t updating your résumé.
Sometimes the first step is getting clear enough to think.
Because once you create some mental space, you can start asking better questions:
What do I actually want?
What’s keeping me here?
What would I like my life to look like?
What needs to change?
What resources do I already have?
And what is one realistic thing I can do next?
You don’t have to figure out the entire path today.
You need enough clarity to identify the next step.
You Don’t Have to Wait Until Life Calms Down
This is important because I don’t believe the solution is creating a perfectly peaceful life where overwhelm never happens again.
Life is going to life. 😂
There will be busy seasons.
Unexpected responsibilities.
Changes.
Children who need things at exactly the moment you planned to concentrate. 😂
The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate overwhelm forever.
The goal is to become better at recognizing it, regulating it, creating systems around it, and moving forward without requiring perfect circumstances first.
That’s where clarity becomes powerful.
From Overwhelmed to Clear™
This is exactly why I created From Overwhelmed to Clear™.
I wanted to create something that helps women work through that mental pile-up, create clarity and begin closing the loops that keep taking up space in their minds.
Because sometimes you don’t need another person telling you:
“Just go for it!”
Maybe you already know you want more.
Maybe you already have the ambition.
Maybe you already have the gifts.
Maybe you even have a pretty good idea of what you want next.
You just need enough clarity and capacity to actually move toward it.
And once you’re there?
Then we can talk about the résumé.
The career strategy.
The positioning.
The business.
The next opportunity.
But we don’t have to start at step five when what you really need is step one.
Get clear.
Then take the next step.
You don’t have to change your entire life today.
And if you’re looking around wondering why you haven’t gotten there yet, remember:
You’re not behind. You’re becoming. 👑
xoxo
— Chauntel