As a career development and executive coach, I work with many individuals who are focused on making changes to their careers to better align with professional values and strengths. But for some, their best plans often get stalled in analysis paralysis, which results in stagnation and a hard stop to all forward momentum.

Ambivalence Trap

Ambivalence or uncertainty is often at the center of the struggle to embark upon change. Sitting on the proverbial fence often precedes change and drills down to behavior and confidence issues.

Motivational Interviewing is a widely used methodology in diverse settings. It employs specific tools and techniques to help individuals fully explore their ambivalence as a critical part of the change process—since it is ultimately your decision whether to change or not.

To address ambivalence, create an open and honest space where reservations and drawbacks can be discussed and worked through. By using the power to make a free decision based on all the information, not just the positive aspects, you are more likely to be ready for what’s next.

If you are ambivalent, spend time focusing on the downside as well as the positive impacts of change to give yourself permission to fully explore why you are resistant. Understanding how to tackle ambivalence may help you work through it more effectively.

Perfection is Impossible

Let go of the debilitating mindset, “I’ll be ready when…” and focus on what you can actually do now. Striving for perfection or absolute readiness is unrealistic and a waste of precious energy that you can be focusing on getting something done, which you are ready for now.

Career perfection is unattainable so focus on your personal best and get comfortable being a lifelong work in progress. Be open to the paradigm that success is 10% skill and 90% collaboration and ramp up your willingness to work with others to accomplish great things.

Prototype, Test, Repeat

Design Thinking is a creative, iterative approach to problem solving that places humans at the center of the process. The Standford d.school offers a fascinating online crash course in design thinking fundamentals, should you wish to explore more.

I employ Design Thinking methodology in career development and leadership coaching to help clients utilize the process to try new things and test and get feedback so they can make well informed decisions on their career journey.

Getting stuck often equals being fearful about the unknowns on the other side of an equation. By prototyping, you create a representation of one or more of your ideas to show others. Think of it as a rough draft and share within your professional circle of trust and ask for feedback. What worked? What didn’t?

By repeating this process with as many new concepts that you are considering, you gain valuable insight by crowd-sourcing feedback. The process is by nature, forward moving and gives you opportunities to turn ideas into prototypes and eventually realities.

Good Enough to Go

One of the reasons I appreciate Design Thinking is that the ideation and prototyping phases of the process need not be 100% refined or polished. Ideation gives you permission to come up with multiple creative solutions to prototype and eventually test. Big hairy audacious goals are encouraged!

Seasoned designers relish the phrase, “Good enough to go!” because they know in most cases you can continue to refine the concept, product, or idea. Think of the Apple iPhone and its many iterations. I am confident there will be more to come. Rarely is something absolutely done.

The second edition of my book, “This Is Not The Career I Ordered” is new and different than the first edition and a personal example of how I finally understood that letting go of perfectionism helped me move forward. Get your good work out into the world.

Keep it Simple

Some people get stuck because they have too many goals. They get overwhelmed and shut down. Focus on small and incremental moves. Think in baby steps and how you can achieve something small and simple on a regular basis to move you towards the end goal.

Ultimately, you alone have control over your career momentum. The roadblocks to stagnation are real and debilitating so give yourself permission to consider how you can unblock and be “good enough to go” today. Ask yourself daily, “What is the single action I will commit to in order to move forward one step today?” Onwards!