From the outside, my career and life today may look like the product of a masterfully crafted long-term plan.
People often ask how I designed that “grand strategy,” expecting a clean blueprint and a confident vision that guided every step.
And sure, with hindsight and a knack for spotting patterns, I can now tell a compelling narrative where all the dots join neatly. At some point we almost have to do that, if only to make sense of how we got here.
But the truth is simpler: I didn’t have the clarity, the data, or the confidence when I started.
What I did have was curiosity and emotional data and a willingness to experiment and out in some effort.
Ten Years Ago: No Plan, Just a Pull Toward What Felt Alive
Ten years ago, I was doing the school run with a company badge around my neck and a laptop in my bag. I was tired of corporate life, running on very little sleep thanks to a baby, and definitely not executing a visionary career strategy.
But I was curious again.
I had just begun studying and engaging with something new and energising, something that tapped into what had always interested me most: people, psychology, conversations. I had no grand plan, but I was ready to explore where that curiosity might lead.
Looking back now, that moment wasn’t about reinvention, it was about paying attention to what was inviting me forward.
Maybe Those 5–10 Year Plans Are Outdated
We keep hearing we should have long-term plans. In today’s fast-moving world, I’m not convinced they serve most people well. For many, they’re overwhelming or rigid, built on the false premise that we should always know exactly where we’re going, and that success and happiness only wait for us “over there.”
Life doesn’t work like that. Careers don’t either.
And perhaps the goal isn’t to be on a predefined “path” or to reach some mythical “end station,” but to design a life you want to live in now.
From Purpose to Curiosity: A More Human Approach to Growth
As neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff, PhD says in the Big Think video (linked below), it’s time to shift from asking:
“What is my purpose?”
to
“What am I curious about?”
She argues for embracing tiny experiments instead of fixed goals. These small steps allow us to gather information, correct course, and stay responsive to what actually feels meaningful—instead of staying trapped on a linear definition of success that no longer fits.
Rigid goals make it hard to change our minds, even when all the emotional and experiential data suggests we should.
Start Somewhere. Collect Data. Adjust. Repeat.
If there is a “method” to my own career evolution, it might be this:
- Start anywhere that feels interesting or energising.
- Collect your own data—emotional, practical, relational—as you go.
- Reflect and adjust along the way.
- Remember you are building a path you will want to stay on, not chasing a finish line.
It’s not all or nothing. It’s steps.
Still Becoming
My own journey continues. I’m not “there” yet—probably never will be—and that no longer worries me. I’m enjoying the ride, and curiosity remains the most reliable compass I’ve found.
A Recommendation for the Curious
If this resonates, I highly recommend:
Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World
by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
It’s a refreshing, liberating read for anyone tired of linear career paths and hungry for a more human, exploratory way of growing.
