6 questions you skipped on the way up
Ask them before you make your next career move.
Before you begin
Around 40, I sat with a question I couldn’t shake. Could I live out my whole life on the hamster wheel?
I didn’t have the answer right away. What I needed first were better questions. These are the 6 I ask my clients. Answer all 6 first. After that, I’ll share why I ask each one.
Give yourself 20 minutes somewhere quiet. Write the first thing that comes to you, before you talk yourself out of it. Be honest. Nobody else has to read this.
Your answers save automatically in this browser, so you can come back to them anytime. They stay on your device, and I never see them unless you choose to send them. When you’re done, you can print them or save them as a PDF.
Date it. In 6 months, come back and see what moved.
Jean
What is your vision?
Your vision is something you’re working towards. It doesn’t have to be perfect or fully figured out. Write what you want to be true at each point below, in your career and in your life.
Where in your life do you feel stuck?
For example, your career, your friendships, or your relationships. Check any that apply.
What do you believe is keeping you stuck?
Write down what you believe, even if part of you isn’t sure it’s true.
When do you take time to connect with yourself?
For example, taking time to read, a long shower or bath, exercise, or finding something fun to do just for you.
Do you feel heard in your life?
Whether that’s at work, at home, with your friends, or with your family. Choose one for each.
What is your definition of success?
Not the definition you were handed. Yours.
You’ve answered 0 of 6.
Why I ask these questions
Each of these questions tells me if you’re living with an old definition of success, if you’ve outgrown it, and what you’ve done about it. Together, they tell me whether or not you’re truly ready to get back on track.
This isn’t an assessment of your answers. It’s what I listen for.
What is your vision?
This question shows me whether or not you have a plan, and how far out you can see it. Without one, it’s like getting into your car with no destination and just starting to drive. You either head back toward the last place you had a plan, or you drive around without a direction. At this point in your career, where you go next should be a choice, not a default.
Where in your life do you feel stuck?
Feeling stuck is usually a sign of misalignment between where you truly want to go and where you think you should go. This question shows me whether you’re aware you’re stuck, whether you know what’s creating it, and whether your plan is outdated or still fits who you are now. Many of us are following a plan made for someone we’ve outgrown.
What do you believe is keeping you stuck?
This question shows me whether you’re looking only at the symptoms of what you’re experiencing, or at the root cause. It also shows me whether you’ve explored opportunities beyond the traditional definition of success. In the work we do, we look at every possibility, not just the ones you can see, because oftentimes we limit ourselves.
When do you take time to connect with yourself?
Mid-career is often when you’re carrying the most for everyone else, and time for yourself is the first thing to go. This question shows me whether you’re prioritizing yourself, and whether there could be potential burnout. Burnout is from misalignment. When there’s no time for you, there’s no time to notice what no longer fits.
Do you feel heard in your life?
This question shows me whether you have a voice in the places that shape your life, at work and at home. What matters most is how long you’ve felt unheard, because it often matches how long you’ve kept your true power and your true voice to yourself. When no one seems to be listening, sharing what you really feel starts to seem pointless, so you stop.
What is your definition of success?
Every other answer points back to this one. This question shows me whether the definition of success you’re living by is truly yours, and whether it’s based only on tangible metrics like title and salary, or whether there’s more to it. If it’s a definition you were handed, or one you set years ago, everything else is working toward something that may no longer be yours.
Now read your answers side by side
You don’t need anyone to tell you what your answers mean to learn something from them. Look at these together.
Does the time you take for yourself show up anywhere in your definition of success?
Read what you believe is keeping you stuck. Then read your 24-month vision. Would the woman in that vision still believe it?
Are the places you feel stuck the same places you don’t feel heard?
If something didn’t line up, you don’t have to fix it tonight. That’s the place to start.
Oftentimes we don’t see what we don’t see.
That’s why it helps to have someone guide you, someone who can work with you to find what’s keeping you stuck, see where the energy isn’t working, and help you move forward from there.
This is where I come in.
I’ve been in finance for over 20 years, and I’m also an intuitive.
My intuition helps me get to the root of what’s keeping you stuck, so we’re not guessing. We’re not going around in circles either, unless you actually want to.
When you book, your answers go with you, so I can read them before we talk.
Prefer email? Write to me at jean@jeantien.com.
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