Why Clarity Comes First

I’m not sure what I want.

Vision? I can barely see my way through to the day’s end!

This setting is so toxic, I don’t care where I go next.

If any of these resonate for you—pause and gift yourself space.

You’ve built a career by growing your expertise, committing to important issues and producing groundbreaking, impactful work.  

But if you feel stuck, muddled or desperate for something new—more growth, more ease, more stability—then career clarity isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity.

A newly minted PhD in 2012, I mistakenly assumed after reaching this career “peak,” the next season would involve gracefully slaloming into a fabulous new role.

After all, the journey of earning a PhD from an R-1 university requires deep tenacity and epic drive to reach completion. My own advisor described it as “shoveling gravel into your mouth every day. And chewing. For months.” That was a generous description.

I had these strengths on my side as I started networking and applying for roles…

• in data analysis and research 

• in teaching

• in communications and medicine. 

• I even considered a role conducting research for Disney in rural Southeast Asian communities.

  I was qualified to do a great deal; I was mystified as to what I actually wanted.

  When an appealing leadership role with a fancy institute slipped away, I began to feel seriously unmoored. My self-confidence sank like a penny tossed into the Pacific. I wondered if I’d made a decade’s worth of wrong choices. Exhaustion and frustration clouded my thinking and stoked my fear.

  What I needed was to stop spinning.

  What I needed was to break past fearful thoughts and reignite my excitement for the future. 

  What I needed was deeper clarity.

  Leaders and change-makers know how to work hard. You’ve built rich experience and honed expert skills. Grown a track record and a CV dense with achievements.

  It can be tempting to stay in-action. You want momentum. You crave change.

  Here are five reasons why it’s essential to pause and build clarity first.

  1. Clarity Builds Confidence

  Many of us wait to feel confident before making a career move. But research shows that confidence is the product of taking action, not the predictor. The more you gain clarity—on what you want, why you want it and what you offer—the more confidence you’ll reflect. Other good news: Confidence is persuasive. It’s worth nurturing. 

  2. Reduce Decision Fatigue

  You’re constantly making decisions—big and small. Without clarity, every opportunity, collaboration, or possible move feels like a valid option. This leads to exhaustion and stagnancy.

  Instead, begin by defining your values. What drives you? What principles guide your life? What are your non-negotiables? Use these to assess opportunities and be strategic in where you invest your energy and time.

  3. Communicate Your Strengths With Ease

  If you’ve ever struggled to articulate your strengths, you’re not alone. High-achieving professionals who lack clarity can undersell themselves and diminish their achievements when their communication isn’t clear. 

  Armed with clarity, you can share a career story that’s compelling and confident—whether during an interview, a networking event, or a LinkedIn post. You’ll readily describe your skills, gifts and experience, elevating the first impression others have of you and drawing more interest.  

  4. Avoid the “Good Enough” Trap

  High-achievers work hard. This proclivity toward heavy lifting—and managing daunting workloads—can distract you from critically assessing where you are. “Making due” can become long-term settling for “good enough, especially when you’ve invested years in a role. But “good enough” isn’t thriving!

  Clarity can help illuminate the gap between where you are and where you’d love to be. Like weights on a scale, that gap can serve as a leverage tipping you toward change.  

  5. Attract the Right Opportunities

  With clarity, you’re not just taking action toward change, you’re realize the right change for you. When you’re clear on your vision and direction, you naturally attract better opportunities.

  We’re drawn to people who have a strong sense of purpose. If you know what you want, others will, too—and they’ll think of you when fitting opportunities arise.  

  6. Invite Greater Fulfillment and Joy

  At the heart of it, clarity is about more than intentions and strategy. It’s about creating a life worthy of YOU. We’re all on this spinning planet for such a brief moment. The clearer you are on what brings you fulfillment, meaning and reward, the more easily you can nurture a career--and life!--that delivers all that and more. 

  Don’t settle for less. 

  Final Thoughts

  My spinning slowed in 2012 when I partnered with an executive coach. He was also a PhD who quickly called out my pattern of doubling-down on effort, instead of pausing for clarity. Through reflection, inquiry and selective action, I refined a vision for my next chapter that led to an exciting new role in research and teaching. 

  My vision continues to evolve today. Yours can, too.