Did you know the average adult spends more than 50% of their waking life at work?

Is it really too much to want to enjoy it?!

Maybe you used to love what you do. Maybe it still looks good on paper. But if there is even a tiny whisper inside saying, "I'm not sure I like this anymore" this feeling matters. 

And if change feels scary? You are not alone. Most of us have responsibilities, mortgages, bills to pay. The idea of starting over or making a big move can feel impossible.

The good news is, change does not need to be radical but it does need to be meaningful. 

Even starting with small steps, your progress will compound over time and when you look back you realise how far you have come. The alternative is looking back and realising you are still stuck in your same old life like a hampster on a wheel. 

I was that hampster once, I felt utterly trapped by my role and the responsibilities I had in life. I held on so tight, that one day I just couldn’t take it anymore, walked into work and resigned. 

Now, I would not recommend you do this! 

Change can be crafted in many different ways, but first and foremost I would recommend spending time to figure out what is important to you. The noise, hustle and bustle of daily life often means we don’t stop to think about what is important and meaningful to us, often putting others needs and feelings first. 

Well dust off your journal and sharpen your pencil! Because you deserve a life and career you love, and it is your responsibility to build it one step at a time. 

Whether it is deciding your relationship is no longer right for you, wanting to lose 10 pounds, changing the place where you lay you head every night, or finding a career that lights you up - you can create positive change one step at a time. This is how I now do it, and I know it works.

Let us take your career as an example and walk through my Three Step System:

Step 1: Audit - Where are you today?

Before you make any decisions, pause and listen to your inner voice. What is working for you in your career? What is not? What drains you? What energises you? Scribble it all down on a notepad, journal or even take notes on your phone. 

It does not need to be pretty, but it does need to get out of your head. This process helps your brain to process your thoughts, and to start making sense of them. 

If you have not downloaded it yet, grab my free Career Clarity Compass. In just a few minutes, you can identify what needs to shift so you can take targeted action, instead of staying stuck.

Step 2: Big Thinking - What would a 10/10 look like?

Ask yourself honestly - if you could design your ideal work life, what would it look like?

More flexibility? Better pay? More excitement? A sense of impact? More time for yourself or your family? Or maybe quitting the rat race for good?

Do not hold back here. Give yourself permission to dream, forget what everyone else wants for a moment or what you think is possible. Take some time to consider your whole life, do you want to work for another 30 years or 5? Do you want to travel the world, with work or on holiday?

For some people, this might mean going for that big promotion. For others, it could be carving out time for a side project that could grow into something more, perhaps it is starting a 10-year exit plan.

Whatever it is, define what your best life looks like for you. Yes this can and will change over time, but what are your desires now?

Step 3: Strategy - Turn Ideas into Action

Now comes the part most people struggle with - Making a plan!

Choose one aspect of your life or career that you want to change today. 

Grab your notebook, jot it down, and answer these questions:

• What would you need to do?
• What support or skills might you need?
• Who could you talk to?
• What small action could you take this week?
  

Do the research, reach out to people who are already doing what you want to do, use AI as a research tool, get curious. Now I want you to write down your three top actions, and get started.

And if you have no idea what you want?

That is totally okay. You do not need a 10-year plan to move forward. But you do need something to focus all your energy on, from there you can build momentum. 

Commit to exploring three new things in the next 90 days. Maybe you are curious about art, wellness, digital marketing, sustainability, coaching, whatever lights a spark.

Pick one idea and:

• Research careers or businesses in that space
• Watch videos, listen to podcasts, talk to people doing it
• Try a short course, or just give it a go in some small way
  

Spend 30 focused days exploring each one. Get excited - or rule it out. Either way, you gain insight.

Imagine doing this for a year. Twelve months from now, you would have incredible clarity - and that time will pass anyway.

This is my blueprint to success

At the time, I did not realise I was building my future piece by piece. I just followed my curiosity, stayed committed, and built a plan I could stick to.

Now, I have a career and life I love. And use this system every year, I get really specific about what I want to achieve in my life and career, whittle it down to three big things for each, and take action. 

Last year for me was about “Feeling the fear and doing it anyway”, I launched my coaching business, website, blog, I took on a new and exciting corporate role, spoke on stage, focussed on building my investments. I set out to do these things with intention, and I smashed it. 

There were a few hiccups and lessons along the way for sure! But that didn’t stop me. 

Each year, I review my strategy and go after it again. Maybe it is a year of rest, maybe a year of growth, this year is about building “Successful Systems”, so I can do more with less. Each year has a focus, and so do I.  

Your turn

If you already know what you want - amazing. Write it down. Break it into 3-5 meaningful steps. Make it visible. Take action.

Imagine sitting quietly at the end of the year thinking, “I did it. I really did it.”

That feeling? It is available to you.

But you have to start.

So here is your challenge:

• One step today
• One step this week
• One step this month
   

You do not need to know every step, just the next logical one. 

You have got this.

Always with love,

Elsa x