Your NEXT CHAPTER and why you don’t need a 10-step plan – Just one brave step can shift your energy into the right direction
Here’s the truth. You don’t need that 10-step plan. You really don’t.
You don’t need a roadmap. We want to have one, but you don’t need it.
You just need one brave step to shift your energy and direction today. Into the right direction. Into the direction you want to go. Into the direction that is your path, your true path.
Today I’m going to give you a quick micro tip to create some big magic in your life.
What’s one tiny thing you’ve been putting off because you’ve been waiting to have a full plan in place?
Maybe it’s updating your CV, maybe it’s messaging a colleague from days back. Maybe it’s just giving yourself 30 minutes of uninterrupted space to think about what you want next.
Joy blockers vs. joy builders – How to identify what’s draining your energy and what energy
In the book “Take Charge of You”, David Novak talks about something called joy blockers and joy builders. So I want to do a little exercise today with you.
Joy blockers are the things that drain us, that lack of clarity that you have, the fear, the perfectionism, comparing yourself to others. Yeah, that’s your joy blocker. Your joy builders are what energizes you. It’s progress, it’s adventure, connection, purpose, meaning, small wins every day.
So most of us remain in place because we think that first step has to be perfect. It has to be big enough to matter. But in reality, the tiniest teeny tiny step in the right direction can be a joy builder, can be building something that is meaningful for yourself. And it’s a signal to yourself that you’re actually moving, that you’re taking the next step. And that’s what it’s all about, right?
So that thing you’ve been waiting for, to feel ready for, you won’t feel ready, not 100%. But readiness isn’t the requirement, your willingness to do is. The secret is motion creates emotion. One step creates momentum.
The power of tiny steps – Why small actions create momentum toward meaningful changeizes you
So here’s your micro mission for today. Ask yourself this one question: What’s one small step I can take today that would bring me closer to a little bit more joy? More freedom? More clarity? Just one.
That thing with the joy is actually something I keep channeling about when I’m writing. I keep connecting myself to a different space. Source, God, whatever you want to call it. And the information, the downloads that come often lead back to joy. To joy in our everyday doings. Joy in work, joy in being together with friends.
Joy because the energy of joy is where everything can be found. The energy of joy is so important. And now imagine if you’re working in a role, in a job that is not joyful, that drains you, that makes you sad, that makes you frustrated, miserable. That energy is really not joyful. It’s not moving you where you want to go.
So even if you are—and I know there’s always people saying “But I’m in a shitty job now. I cannot be joyful.” Yes, you can. Yes, you can. I know you can.
How to reconnect with joy – Practical visualization techniques to create more freedom in your mind and life
Just put on your headphones, put on a beautiful meditation, turn off that noise outside and create that joy and freedom in your mind when you close your eyes. Move yourself to a space and time that feels more joyful. Create a vision, pictures in your mind that move you with joy.
Create scenes of your life. What would bring you joy? What would make you excited? Who are you? Who’s this person? What’s she doing? Where’s she going? Is she speaking somewhere? Is she talking to strangers? Is she on a stage? Is she moving to a different country? Is she getting in the car? Driving to a new location?
Is she applying for a new job? Is she talking about a promotion with her recruitment manager, her hiring manager, her HR department? What’s she doing? Who is she? What would bring you joy? What are you going to do to make you feel joyful? What’s that person on the screen doing? Just think about it.
Your micro mission – A simple journaling exercise to move you closer to your next chapter
So block yourself 20 minutes in your calendar to journal—ideally every day, but I know that’s hard when you don’t do this right now. So start with your plan to do this once a week, 20 minutes, once a week. I know you can do that.
Or DM someone about a job you would love to hear more about, or look up an online course that you’ve been curious about. Start downloading some episodes of a business podcast that inspires you to learn more about how to take your first steps.
Throw away that old version of your CV that doesn’t fit you anymore. Go for a walk and ask yourself, what brings me alive right now? What do I feel like doing? What makes me feel joyful? What makes me feel happy? What do I wanna do every single day? Where do I wanna be? What kind of people do I wanna be around? What’s the kind of impact I want to have? Where’s the joy?
Maybe the joy is being with your child and that’s okay too. And that’s okay too.
So we don’t need to see the whole staircase. Every time you think to yourself you need to see the whole staircase, you need to know everything until you get to the end goal… you’re not going to start because, man, if you knew how hard the road ahead sometimes is, you would never start. But that doesn’t mean that your journey isn’t worth it. Quite the opposite. You just need to take your next step.
And especially this little one today that leads you back to you. So, that’s how your first chapter starts. Ask yourself, where do you find your joy? What makes you feel come alive?
And if you ask yourself about your joy and you’re asking about your joy blockers, you could say to yourself, “What’s getting in the way of my joy at work particularly? What’s getting in the way of my joy at home or in my relationship?”
And start to be really specific. Because when you say, “My job is getting in the way of my joy, because you don’t enjoy your job,” that’s not a very specific response yet. We want to know what’s underneath that.
Get specific about what’s holding you back – Questions to uncover the root causes of dissatisfaction
Why do you not like your job? Is it because you dislike your colleagues? Is it because you feel like you’re not making a contribution? Or is it because your contribution is not appreciated?
Maybe you’d like to be in a different role, or you might not like the industry that you’re working in. Maybe it’s the commute that you don’t enjoy or the hours that are too long. But it’s important that you’re specific so that you start to get to the root cause of what you actually really want to do.
And then likewise, find your joy builders. When you ask your question, what would bring you more joy? Maybe it’s a different department in the company that you’re currently working in, because maybe it’s the colleagues that you don’t like. But you actually enjoy the company. You are actually aligned with their purpose and their values?
Consider what would bring joy into your life. Maybe you’ll get a lot of satisfaction out of doing volunteer work. So potentially you can start doing more community work outside of your job. Maybe it can even become a full-time role.
Finding purpose through work – My personal journey toward more meaningful career choices
I did move into a CSR job that supports charities and NGOs. And it was quite an interesting move, quite a new world for me because I wanted to do more purposeful work.
So don’t question what comes to your mind, just write it down, just record it, and write down lots of different things, maybe 20 different points, because you will realize you will start quite easy, but then it gets harder, gets harder to journal down what is underneath that. But that’s usually where the real juicy stuff sits. That’s what we want to get to. We want to peer back these layers.
So that’s your little assignment for today to get you closer to your next chapter. Thank you so much for spending time with Mama What’s Next and me and remember –
