FIND YOUR FOCUS: A GUIDE TO CAREER CLARITY Why feeling stuck might be your greatest opportunity yet
- Michael Kruger
- Jun 13
- 5 min read
For professionals who feel ready for change but are unclear on the next step in their career
You’ve worked hard. You’ve hit the milestones. You’ve followed the plan. And yet… something feels off.
Your job isn’t bad. Your boss isn’t toxic. Your CV looks great. But inside, you’re unsettled. Unfulfilled. Questioning.
If that sounds like you, you’re not failing – you’re evolving. And this could be the exact moment to pause, reflect, and realign with who you are now and what you want your career to be.
This blog may be the guide is to help you understand what career clarity really means (for you), why it matters, and how to start finding it with no panic, pressure, or drastic moves required.
WHAT “STUCK” REALLY MEANS
Let’s begin with a reframe:
Feeling stuck isn’t the problem. It’s the message.
When our work no longer feels aligned, it’s often because something has shifted in us – our beliefs, values, priorities, energy, or sense of purpose.
Some signs you may be ready for a shift; You have worked hard and proven yourself, but you aren’t at the point you thought you be at right now; You’re successful on paper but bored in practice; You dread Mondays, not because of stress, but emptiness; You daydream about doing something totally different; You feel guilty for wanting more; You can’t answer the question, “What do I really want instead?”
That last one? That’s the most common sign you’re in a career clarity gap.
This isn’t a crisis. It’s a crossroads. And it’s more common than you think.
WHY WE LOSE CAREER CLARITY
You didn’t miss a memo. Most of us were never taught to reflect on our careers and build and execute strategies, it was understood that just showing up and working hard was all that was needed to become successful.
We’re told to choose a path early, stick to it, and climb the ladder. We’re praised for consistency and warned about “starting over.”
But here’s the truth: Your experience and exposure increases – Your values change – Your skills expand – Your definition of success evolves.
If you never pause to check in, you end up in roles that fit your past self, not your current one and definitely not the one you are aspiring to be.
Career clarity fades when we prioritise expectations over authenticity, stay busy instead of staying honest (with ourselves), and silence our discomfort to keep the peace (internal and external).
Clarity isn’t found by pushing through. It’s found by slowing down and asking the important and sometimes tough questions.
WHAT CAREER CLARITY REALLY IS
Career clarity isn’t just knowing what job you want. It’s knowing: What energises you and what drains you – What your core values are now – What kind of life you want your work to support – How you want to grow next – What ultimate career success looks like for YOU
It’s not about having a perfect plan. It’s about having honest direction and knowing how to apply your skills, behaviours, attitudes, and relationships to leverage the optimal career value chain (OYCVC®).
When clients work with us at The BLCC, they come in seeking answers and we help them to clarify their journeys with questions like “Do I need a new job, or just new boundaries?”, “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”, “How do I get my boss to see my value and/or support me?”, “How do I make a change without starting from scratch?”
Coaching helps you unpack these questions without rushing to answers. It gives you the space and structure to hear your own truth and then make a plan to honour it.
CASE STUDY MOMENTS
Here are a few breakthrough moments from our real client sessions (shared anonymously with permission):
Case 1: The High Performer Ready to Quit “I thought I needed to resign. I hated my job. But what I really hated was how I was working – no boundaries, no rest, always having to prove myself. Once we named that, everything shifted. I chose to stay and I’m thriving.”
Case 2: The Achiever in an Identity Crisis “I couldn’t stop questioning everything, my career, my goals, my worth were unclear to me. Coaching helped me realise that I’d built a career based on what I thought would make me feel successful. I’ve since pivoted, slowly and deliberately, toward what actually matters to ME.”
Case 3: The Quietly Unhappy Executive “I didn’t need therapy. I needed a mirror. Coaching helped me see what I couldn’t and what I’d buried under busyness responsibilities and remember who I was and what I wanted to achieve before I got so busy being capable.”
These aren’t transformations that come from advice. They come from guided reflection and capable support.
HOW TO START FINDING YOUR OWN FOCUS
If you’re not ready to hire a coach just yet, you can still begin this work on your own.
Here are some prompts we use with clients at the very beginning of the career clarity process:
Reflection Questions: 1. What parts of my job give me energy? 2. What parts consistently drain me? 3. What do I value most, now? 4. What have I been tolerating? 5. If I didn’t care what anyone thought, what would I want next?
Journal Prompt: “Describe a week in the life of Future Me – If I felt fulfilled, focused and free...”
You can also use our free downloadable tool: Find Your Focus - A Guide to Career Clarity, it’s a guided worksheet to help you reconnect with what’s next.
WHAT COACHING ADDS TO THE PROCESS
Coaching doesn’t give you a to-do list. It gives you space.
The right questions.
The right pace.
The right support to explore, then move.
With a coach, you: Untangle mental clutter – Reconnect with what matters – See blind spots and unhelpful patterns – Build a plan that fits who you are and where you want to go, not just what you’ve done.
And most of all, you move forward confidently with clarity and purpose without guilt or fear.
Because clarity isn’t just about where you’re going. It’s about finally feeling like you’re on your own side again.
CONCLUSION: YOU’RE NOT LOST. YOU’RE READY.
If you’re feeling stuck in your career, you don’t need to push through. You need to pause and listen.
You’re not behind. You’re not too late. You’re not broken.
You’re ready for more.
Let’s find out what that looks like – together.
Let’s Talk It Through
Career coaching helps you to: Clarify your direction - Reframe obstacles – Develop skills, Leverage relationships - Create meaningful, strategic steps forward
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