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Some think changing your goal is giving up.
I think it’s dangerous not to…
Your goals can change. And honestly, they should.
What you defined as “success” 10 years ago… Likely isn’t what success means to you now. A lot can shift in a decade.
These days, so much can change in a year.
And when things change, change also happens in you.
Here’s how my own career goals unfolded, chapter by chapter:
0–5 yrs: Get a strong start + grow as fast as I can
5–10 yrs: Deliver great work, and grow my family (3 kids born!)
10–15 yrs: Become a subject matter expert + aim for VP
15–17 yrs: Follow my passion in Innovation + broaden my experience
17+ yrs: Build and run my own business
Every chapter fit who I was and what I valued in that moment of my life.
None was “better” than another. And letting go of a goal (like aiming for VP) wasn’t quitting. It was adjusting.
Listening. Learning more about what mattered to me.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Because things do change:
Your life situation
(family, health, economics)
Your focus
(advancement, stability, breadth, pivoting)
Your definition of success shifts with each chapter.
But here’s the biggest danger:
→ When life changes, but your picture of “success” doesn’t.
That’s when frustration grows. That’s when people feel stuck. Like they’re swimming upstream against a current that’s getting stronger.
A goal that served you well before no longer serves who you’re becoming now.
But then, what is the next goal?
It isn’t always obvious.
This is why so many clients come to Clarity Coaching, to design their next chapter with intention, not pressure.
To step into their next level of leadership in a way that fits.
Like Sarah, who chose to leave her current role to model being a strong female leader in cybersecurity.
Like Pearl, who found a path to prioritize family and support her career at the same time.
Like Amanda, who discovered a company and culture that embraced her authentic leadership style.
Your next chapter will ask something new of you.
The question is:
Are you building your next chapter for who you are today, or who you used to be?
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
C.S. Lewis
British Author and Scholar
