Cathy Ferringo - Helping High-Achievers Find Clarity, Build Sustainable Momentum, and Lead on Their Own Terms
Expect ideas, decision-making frameworks, real-life lessons, and occasional permission slips to help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
The door I didn't know I was opening
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Nine years ago today, I held a brand new coaching certificate in my hands. I remember thinking, "I did it." At the time, I thought I was celebrating completion. The end of the journey. One big "Yay, I did it!" moment. Looking back now, I smile because I see that day very differently. I had no idea I was standing at the beginning of everything that would come next. Nine years and more than 4,500 coaching conversations later, I've come to believe that what I thought was a finish line was really the first of many doorways. Doorways are rarely endings. They're beginnings we don't yet understand. We almost never get the full map before we begin. Sometimes the staircase only reveals itself once we're willing to take the first step. And somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to trade uncertainty for certainty. Instead, I discovered something quieter: the kind of self-trust that lets you take the next step without needing to see the whole path. So here's the question I've been sitting with, and one I'd like to offer you too. What doorway are you standing in front of right now, waiting for a map that isn't coming? I'm planning to share more reflections like this over the coming months. Not on a schedule, and not as a program. Just thinking out loud about the things I care about, and inviting you to think alongside me. If this sparked something for you, I'd love to hear it. Hit reply and tell me what doorway you're standing in front of. I read every response. Nine years ago, I thought I was standing at a finish line. Looking back, I can see it was only the first doorway. Maybe the doorway you're standing in front of today is the beginning of something you can't see yet. Cheering you on, Cathy --- *Was this forwarded to you? Come along for the conversation. I write about self-leadership, meaningful momentum, and becoming. Follow along here: https://cathyferringo.com/newsletter/ |
Cathy Ferringo - Helping High-Achievers Find Clarity, Build Sustainable Momentum, and Lead on Their Own Terms
Expect ideas, decision-making frameworks, real-life lessons, and occasional permission slips to help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
You've stopped trying to think your way clear. The overthinking has quieted. You've let go of waiting for the map to arrive in full. You can name what you might do. You've been so diligent. And yet, the doorway still feels impossibly heavy. That's the part people take as evidence against themselves. I did the work. I'm not confused anymore. So why can't I move? Before you decide what that heaviness means, I want you to check one thing. When a crossing feels too heavy to attempt, we assume the...
In the last article, we named the map. The one you keep hoping will arrive before you'll let yourself move. Clarity. Permission. A sign. Proof that it will all turn out okay. We saw that the full map rarely comes, and that waiting has a cost of its own. So you did what any thoughtful person would do. You started thinking. You made the lists. You checked them twice. You asked the people you trust. You turned the whole thing over again on the drive home. You have been so responsible about this...
There's a moment that happens before the work starts. Maybe you know it. You're struggling to get started. The work matters to you. And somehow that seems to make it even harder to begin. You carry a low hum of dread. You open another tab. You decide now is probably a good time to clear your inbox. Here's the part that surprises people when I say it out loud. The work you struggle most to begin is almost never someone else's work. You answer the email. You make the deadline. You show up for...