If in doubt, zoom out.

This is something that comes up in coaching all. the. time. A lot of my clients have at least low-level anxiety or wobbly confidence despite being high-performing and highly capable, with high standards. This applies across the board, from my younger, less seasoned clients right the way up to my C-suite clients.

People get hyper-focused on the minutiae of something or fixated on a situation, and lose sleep over what may or may not happen, replaying versions of hypothetical conversations in their minds, trying to predict how something might play out and how they will respond in detail to the doom that is yet to land.

There is so much pressure to make the ‘right decision’ when it comes to career moves and the temptation to opinion shop is strong, but rarely the solution. What results is more doubt, less clarity, and the inevitable ‘freeze’, which leads to inaction, which gets you nowhere. A dear client of mine asked an almost stranger the other day if she was crazy to be thinking about the career change she has in mind. Despite being someone who works in the field my client is considering, they barely knew each other. How could that person possibly know the answer?

If you’re a client of mine, you’ll have heard me say “invest in the process, but don’t attach to the outcome” when it comes to the job hunt. I know you want that job. I really do. But it might not turn out to be the job you get, and instead of putting all your eggs in one basket and pouring so much of yourself into that one single opportunity, wouldn’t it be better to trust that as long as you are putting your best foot forward, and showing up as your best self for jobs that tick as many of your boxes as possible and are aligned with your skills, strengths, experience and interests, you WILL get where you want to go?

What’s actually much more helpful is to ZOOM OUT and develop the courage, resilience and self-belief to be able to deal with ANY sticky situation that comes your way, and make ANY decision that needs to be made, in accordance with what’s best for you and your heart

Backing myself has been something I’ve worked HARD on this year in business and in motherhood, leaning into trust and listening more to my intuition. It’s a work in progress and I’d be lying if I said I never succumbed to some of the examples above.

When it comes to your ability to handle adversity, to make a decision, to get whatever the thing you are going after is? Try trusting yourself a little more and give yourself credit for all the times you’ve probably been in a sticky spot before and made it out the other side.