The most successful leaders I coach aren't the ones who never feel stuck.
They're the ones who recognize when they're living in what psychologist Carl Jung called the "provisional life"—that comfortable prison where we preserve our current identity while our potential withers.
Think of it this way: You know that moment when you're watching a movie and the character is about to make a terrible decision, and you're screaming at the screen? That's your psyche watching you avoid necessary growth.
We construct elaborate reasons why now isn't the right time. The market conditions aren't perfect. We need more experience. The kids are too young. The mortgage is too high. But underneath these rational explanations lies a deeper truth: becoming who we're meant to be requires releasing who we think we are.
This shows up in countless ways. The nonprofit director who knows they need to have tough budget conversations but keeps postponing them. The entrepreneur who has the business plan ready but won't file the LLC. The parent who wants to model courage but stays in the job that drains their spirit.
Your discomfort isn't a bug in the system—it's a feature. That gnawing sense that something needs to change? That's not anxiety talking. That's wisdom knocking.
The question isn't whether you're capable of growth. You are. The question is whether you're willing to trust that who you're becoming is more interesting than who you've been.
What story about yourself would need to evolve for you to take the next right step?
Growth doesn't require perfection. It requires permission—permission you can only give yourself.
What's one belief about yourself that might be keeping you smaller than you need to be?
