You’ve Worked Hard to Get Here
You’ve worked hard to get here.
You’ve earned credentials, won over champions and grown a career of impact. You’ve stretched, sacrificed and invested. On paper, you’re accomplished. But internally, you feel stuck. Fulfillment seems as distant as an all-expenses-paid vacation in the Maldives.
If you’re an educator, nonprofit leader or researcher wrestling with uncertainty, you’re not alone. Today, many feel at a crossroads and unsure of what’s next.
You want to be thoughtful, but you’re muddled. What steps to take? Which direction to head toward? What will bring you the growth, reward and ease you seek?
These questions can be heavy and cumbersome. On stressful days, your mind may spin in circles. You may believe that “with appropriate thinking” an answer will appear.
Here’s what you need to know: Career clarity doesn’t emerge from endless pondering. It isn’t a formula you’ll stumble upon at 3AM. It’s something you build.
Below are six actionable strategies to help grow clarity and unlock new opportunities for greater growth, earnings and fulfillment.
Check Your Vitals
Your capability to see and embrace possibilities is closely tied to your energy. When you’re depleted -- at the end of a hard day or season -- your openness to new options can narrow. Check your vitals:
How’s my energy?
Am I rested?
Eating healthy and nourishing food?
Am I getting enough exercise (or too much)?
Am I getting enough social support? Joy?
If you’re lacking in any of these crucial areas, build in extra time to replenish. The inner doubter and critic can get very loud during times of depletion leading you to abandon paths that you might be excited by under different circumstances.
2. Reconnect With What IS Energizing
It’s our default to focus on what’s not working. But dwelling here ensures declining motivation and lost momentum. Instead, consider:
What’s rewarding you today?
Who or what is bringing you satisfaction?
When have you felt in a state of flow or deeply engaged?
Acknowledged, praised or “seen?”
Confident and operating in your “zone of genius?”
These can help build perspective and illuminate the types of challenges, work characteristics, and qualities that align with your strengths and your greatest gifts.
3. Be a Scientist
Clarity isn’t about having a perfect, fully formed plan. It’s about testing, learning, and testing again.
Try out new actions such as:
Volunteering for a new project that stretches you
Attending a networking event in a field that intrigues you
Taking a short course to explore an emerging interest.
By stepping into new communities and experiences, you’ll not only gain new “data” but create powerful momentum to continue exploring.
4. Expand Your Vision
Many high-achievers limit themselves to what’s familiar, dismissing options that feel out of reach or unrelated to their current field. Every industry holds professionals who’ve repurposed their education and experience or pivoted into roles holding unconventional credentials.
Challenge yourself to explore:
Cross-sector roles (e.g., a PhD moving from academia to consulting, an educator stepping into policy work)
Hybrid careers blending multiple skills (e.g., research + public speaking, education + entrepreneurship)
Unconventional paths that leverage your expertise in unexpected ways
Fulfillment—and growth!—can come from stepping into spaces and roles you hadn’t previously considered.
5. Upgrade Your Internal Narrative
Poor clarity is often tangled up in self-doubt. Can I really make this change? Do I have what it takes? What if I fail?
Research shows how you speak to yourself impacts motivation and performance. Shift your mindset by:
Reframing doubts: Instead of “I’m not qualified,” try “I have valuable skills that ARE transferrable.”
Seeking evidence: Reflect on past times when you’ve successfully navigated change.
Surrounding yourself with other growth-minded people--mentors and peers who’ve made bold career moves.
6. Define Your Vision of Success
What success looked like at 25 may not align with what you want at 45. Give yourself permission to recalibrate and refine it.
Ask yourself:
What kind of life do I want to nurture?
What type of impact do I wish to have?
What skills or abilities do I most want to flex?
What do I want my work to enable for me and my loved ones?
Too often we limit success to job titles and salary levels. Take the time to really consider what will make your career – and life! – purposeful and fulfilling on your terms.
Now, take the next small step.
Clarity grows through action. Pick one of the steps above and commit to exploring it this week. The sooner you step into motion, the faster the best path for you will emerge.
You don’t have to stay stuck. Your next chapter—one of growth, fulfillment, and impact—is waiting. And you have everything you need to realize it.
Which step resonates with you the most? Reach back and let me know—I’d love to hear!
