Give yourself permission

I recently wrote about a temp role where nothing went right.  The lesson was: if you've thrived everywhere else and suddenly can't, it might be you, but it might also be the soil. And if the soil is wrong, watering yourself harder will not make you flourish. You need to move.

Assuming safety and financial means to make that move, can you guess the #1 obstacle I see in people who feel stuck languishing in a role? It’s that they wait for some sort of undefined “permission” to stand up for themselves and decide to go.

Who can give that to you?

Hint: You.

It doesn’t come out of nowhere, this waiting for permission dynamic. Cultural and gender norms, childhood experiences – all sorts of factors come into play and I’m not pretending they’re not incredibly powerful. But they’re not utterly determinative, either.

And it’s not just about changing role, either. I see the same pattern in all sorts of domains. Permission to speak up. Permission to take the big job. Permission to hold others to account.

You don't owe your best years to an organisation that overlooks you. You don't owe your reputation to people who take it for granted. You don't owe anyone the privilege of watching you shrink.

If nobody has told you that you deserve that yet, consider this your permission.

Know someone who's waiting for permission to thrive? Forward this to them. And if it's you and you'd like help making the call, get in touch.

Until next week,

Madeleine

I help accomplished professionals untangle difficult career questions so they can thrive in work and life.

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