This resonates deeply. Year 3 was my hardest year too — not because things were failing, but because I couldn't tell if the choices I was making were intentional or just inertia dressed up as strategy.
The point about positioning-by-negation is the one I'd push back on gently. "Not a coach, not a fractional COO" works for a while — it filters out the wrong clients. But eventually you need something to move toward, not just away from. For me it took another three years to find that.
The question that helped most: what would I keep doing if I removed everything that was working?
“Embrace the weird” is a great rallying cry. (Mentioning “your own conspiratorial story” made me think: Participating in a conspiracy is way more exciting than feeling like you’re the victim of someone else’s.)
These are some lovely questions 🙏🏻
This resonates deeply. Year 3 was my hardest year too — not because things were failing, but because I couldn't tell if the choices I was making were intentional or just inertia dressed up as strategy.
The point about positioning-by-negation is the one I'd push back on gently. "Not a coach, not a fractional COO" works for a while — it filters out the wrong clients. But eventually you need something to move toward, not just away from. For me it took another three years to find that.
The question that helped most: what would I keep doing if I removed everything that was working?
Appreciate your reflections! For me it’s really been an embrace of the weird and never quite knowing where I am in my own conspiratorial story
“Embrace the weird” is a great rallying cry. (Mentioning “your own conspiratorial story” made me think: Participating in a conspiracy is way more exciting than feeling like you’re the victim of someone else’s.)
haha yes - just the benefits of never complaining about my employers conspiracies is worth everything haha
Love the quote from Eleanor.
Not sure I'll make it to 'Flow'.
Sounds like the world is your oyster for the year ahead.