“The calmer you are, the clearer you think.
Let your decisions come from a place of peace, not from reaction.”
When Hollis sent me this quote, it stopped me for a moment.
Lately, I’ve been paying attention to how much anxiety can cloud decision-making, especially when it comes to career choices.
Because here’s the truth: even for those of us who help others navigate change, deciding what’s next can still feel like standing in fog.
Why Decision-Making Feels So Hard
If you’ve ever frozen when someone asked, “Where do you want to eat?” you’ve probably experienced the anxious brain in action.
It’s not indecision; it’s protection.
Anxiety tries to keep us safe by weighing every possible outcome. It wants us to avoid regret, rejection, or loss. But in doing so, it keeps us spinning in analysis instead of clarity.
When we’re anxious, we don’t decide; we react.
And that same pattern shows up in our careers—staying in roles that no longer fit, overthinking every step, or waiting for perfect timing before making a move.
Calm Creates Clarity
I’ve learned that when I slow down and reconnect to my values, creativity, and inner calm, decisions stop feeling like pressure and start feeling like progress.
Clarity doesn’t always arrive as a lightning bolt.
It often comes quietly when we’re still enough to hear ourselves think.
That’s when decision-making becomes less about fear and more about direction.
How This Connects to “Job Hugging”
In our recent newsletter, Hollis and I shared a concept that’s showing up everywhere right now: Job Hugging—holding tightly to your current role, not necessarily because it’s ideal, but because it feels safe in an uncertain market.
It’s a completely human response. After years of volatility, people crave stability. But job hugging can also lead to stagnation through hesitation—staying in a holding pattern, waiting for conditions to improve before making a move.
And that’s where clarity work becomes powerful.
Even if you’re not ready or able to make a career change right now, you can begin the inner work that will make future decisions easier.
What You Can Do While You’re “Hugging” Your Job
If you’re holding on for now, use this season to prepare for what’s next—not just logistically, but mentally and emotionally.
Start here:
- Get grounded in your values. When you know what matters most, you stop making fear-based choices.
- Reconnect with your strengths. Confidence is the antidote to anxiety, and knowing your strengths restores it.
- Reflect, don’t react. Take time for journaling, coaching, or quiet thinking. You’ll begin to see patterns and possibilities you couldn’t see before.
- Redefine what progress looks like. Growth doesn’t always mean movement. Sometimes it’s about deepening roots before reaching again.
When the time comes to make a move—whether that’s next quarter, next year, or when the market shifts—you’ll already have the clarity you need to act with confidence.
Clarity Is the Foundation for Confident Decisions
At Career Design, this is the work we help people do every day: rediscovering their voice, uncovering their values, and finding clarity that quiets anxiety and brings confidence back to decision-making.
Whether you’re in a season of rooting or reaching, remember this:
Every step toward calm is a step toward clarity.
And clarity is what allows every next decision to feel lighter, truer, and more you.
Ready to start creating calm and clarity in your career?
Explore how our Career Clarity Program helps you rediscover your voice and design what’s next at Career Design.