What Actually Creates Quantum Career Leaps (Hint: It's Not Strategy)
As human beings, we are hardwired to seek certainty. And while it seems universally preferable to know exactly how things will turn out, when we dig a little deeper, we discover that certainty kind of ruins the fun and mystery of life.
It's the same reason why finding out the end of the movie spoils it; we are robbed of the experience of wonder that only the journey can provide. The same is true of life, and I would argue weirdly, the same is true of work. (To me, life and work are reflections of each other, but more on that later).
I always love when I get a notification that someone has booked a free consultation with me because more often than not, I have no clue how they found me or who they are. The process of learning about and discovering another person is my absolute favorite thing to do, it gives me so much life.
Once we get on the call, I get even more excited when they say something along these lines: "I'm lost, I don't know what's next, but I know I can't continue the way I've been going. There has to be something more for me in this life."
Now, to be clear, I do not love when people are struggling. My entire goal is to help people remove the struggle they feel in their work. But this statement signals something that is one of my favorite qualities in others: A willingness to take the risk of uncertainty for the chance at a more honest and fruitful life.
And that willingness is, in my experience, THE thing that creates the change we seek. It's not about mentally muscling your way to the perfect strategy, or paying someone thousands of dollars to teach you their one-size-fits-all formula for guaranteed results.
The number one factor I have found that leads to quantum leaps is the ability and willingness to turn inwards and slow down in the face of the unknown.
And that requires us to go against many of our most basic instincts. It feels completely counterintuitive and extremely uncomfortable. And yet, those of us who find ourselves hitting emotional rock-bottoms or total career collapses are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be forced into the unknown.
When the way we spend our days feels corrosive and empty, and we know deep down, even if we haven't yet seen it with our own eyes, that there is a better way to create a life and living, this can tip us over the edge into choosing to step into the void of the unknown.
And that is where the adventure truly does begin. That is where we get to enjoy the fruits of our real labor. The labor of creativity, and love, and connection, and self-trust, and kindness, and understanding, and presence, and flow.
That is the work we are meant to be doing and that is how we are meant to be spending our time. If you see someone spending their time doing more of that than not, just know that they too had to sit with the unknown. They too had to be still enough to feel their hard feelings. And they too, had to choose to trust themself, against their better judgement, against reason and logic, for the chance at creating a life worth living.
So, if you are finding yourself at this exact moment facing down the void of uncertainty, let this be an invitation not to turn back now. Every great thing that has ever been built started as nothing.
Alex Rizzi (MSEd) is an integrative career coach, hypnotherapist, and soon-to-be psychotherapist. She helps people decondition from extractive systems and build careers rooted in sovereignty. If this article resonated, take her free quiz to discover your Liberated Career Archetype or book a free chat here.