This is incredibly liberating to read. We’ve become so conditioned to package our lives into neat, marketable arcs that we forget how messy progress actually is.
Thank you for this piece Katie, it really resonated with me. Hard roads are the ones worth choosing and the ones filled with all the magic and growth!!
You're a talented writer. I especially like the clarity of your prose. Congratulations on moving on with your life rather than taking the easy path. Then again, I'm not at all sure it would have been easier for you.
Thank you so much for reading and for the thoughtful reply, Neal! Your compliment on my prose means the world to me as a lifelong aspiring writer.
You make a great point about the 'easy path'— every choice definitely comes with its challenges. I do seem to have a habit of leaning into the more difficult paths, but I'm learning to embrace that as part of the journey with the aspirations I am working towards. Thank you again for your support!
Thank you for writing this. You're much more articulate than I am, haha. I'm actively job searching, having lost my professional identity after a series of stupid mistakes. I'm not a clinician anymore, nor do I want to be. I'm not a chef, research coordinator, bartender, or manufacturing technician, either - though I can be. At this point, I just want a paycheck so that I can pay rent while I find my next best place, not know what that is. I have to market myself based on a clean version of work history that simply isn't true.
Thank you for the kind words, Nat! I'm doing my best to become the writer that childhood Katie always dreamed of being - so you're feedback means a lot to me.
I deeply relate to the messy process of shedding a professional identity. I feel that I am still going through it (and probably still going) a majority of this year.
There is absolutely no shame in taking a "pay-the-rent" job while you figure out your next step. In fact, sometimes it gives us a bit of routine while working on other things in our life!
The pressure to market a clean and linear work history is intense, and it's something people rarely talk about when discussing career change or starting again. Though, it is possible to navigate this messy middle, and I truly believe you'll find your way through it. You've got this! Rooting for you! 🍀💕
This is beautiful. The honesty about drift over decision feels like a relief. Most people don’t lack courage; they just don’t recognize that movement often comes before meaning. Thank you for naming that so clearly.
Thank you so much for your reply, Tracy, it truly means a lot! I'm so glad I could help put words to the things people rarely name about the "in-between" process of identity and career reinvention. Capturing that reality is the entire premise of The Multiple Lives Theory.
Hi Katie ... interesting read ... it looks as if we are exploring similar spaces ... albeit from a different perspective ... have a look at aftertherails.substack.com ...
Hi Paul, thank you for reading and saying hello! It really does look like we're exploring the same beautiful, messy territory from different angles. I love your focus on widening our perspective and ensuring that life "after the rails" is larger, not smaller. It's a brilliant framing for the career transition process. Excited to dive into your newsletter!
This is incredibly liberating to read. We’ve become so conditioned to package our lives into neat, marketable arcs that we forget how messy progress actually is.
Thank you for this piece Katie, it really resonated with me. Hard roads are the ones worth choosing and the ones filled with all the magic and growth!!
You're a talented writer. I especially like the clarity of your prose. Congratulations on moving on with your life rather than taking the easy path. Then again, I'm not at all sure it would have been easier for you.
Thank you so much for reading and for the thoughtful reply, Neal! Your compliment on my prose means the world to me as a lifelong aspiring writer.
You make a great point about the 'easy path'— every choice definitely comes with its challenges. I do seem to have a habit of leaning into the more difficult paths, but I'm learning to embrace that as part of the journey with the aspirations I am working towards. Thank you again for your support!
Thank you for writing this. You're much more articulate than I am, haha. I'm actively job searching, having lost my professional identity after a series of stupid mistakes. I'm not a clinician anymore, nor do I want to be. I'm not a chef, research coordinator, bartender, or manufacturing technician, either - though I can be. At this point, I just want a paycheck so that I can pay rent while I find my next best place, not know what that is. I have to market myself based on a clean version of work history that simply isn't true.
Thank you for the kind words, Nat! I'm doing my best to become the writer that childhood Katie always dreamed of being - so you're feedback means a lot to me.
I deeply relate to the messy process of shedding a professional identity. I feel that I am still going through it (and probably still going) a majority of this year.
There is absolutely no shame in taking a "pay-the-rent" job while you figure out your next step. In fact, sometimes it gives us a bit of routine while working on other things in our life!
The pressure to market a clean and linear work history is intense, and it's something people rarely talk about when discussing career change or starting again. Though, it is possible to navigate this messy middle, and I truly believe you'll find your way through it. You've got this! Rooting for you! 🍀💕
This is beautiful. The honesty about drift over decision feels like a relief. Most people don’t lack courage; they just don’t recognize that movement often comes before meaning. Thank you for naming that so clearly.
Thank you so much for your reply, Tracy, it truly means a lot! I'm so glad I could help put words to the things people rarely name about the "in-between" process of identity and career reinvention. Capturing that reality is the entire premise of The Multiple Lives Theory.
Hi Katie ... interesting read ... it looks as if we are exploring similar spaces ... albeit from a different perspective ... have a look at aftertherails.substack.com ...
Hi Paul, thank you for reading and saying hello! It really does look like we're exploring the same beautiful, messy territory from different angles. I love your focus on widening our perspective and ensuring that life "after the rails" is larger, not smaller. It's a brilliant framing for the career transition process. Excited to dive into your newsletter!
So rich! :)
Ingredient list looks spot on
Could I do the same using
Almond butter.