Read time: 4 minutes • A quiet moment for you

Hi Reader,

Welcome to my weekly newsletter, designed to help you Rise on Purpose.

Last week, I wrote about looking back to see forward. If you missed it, you can read that, and all previous articles, here.

And because a few good words can change the direction of your whole day, I wrote a FREE PDF guide: 7 Things to Tell Yourself Every Day. If you'd like to receive it, hit reply and I'll send it straight to your inbox.

Ask Yourself This

This week, I've been thinking about the questions most of us never ask ourselves at work.

Not the big existential ones. The small, practical ones that cut right through the daily noise.

A LinkedIn post I shared recently struck a chord with a lot of people. It started with this:

Two questions will save your career.

Am I learning? Am I earning?

You need at least one yes to make staying worthwhile. Either is fine. Both is best. But if it's neither, it's time to move on.

I've seen people stay in dead-end roles for years because they never stopped to ask themselves these questions. They tell themselves things will improve (they don't). That the next promotion is just around the corner (it's not). That they should be grateful to have a job (that's not the point).

Meanwhile, years pass.

If any of that sounds familiar, it might be time to gently challenge the habits keeping you stuck.

This week’s tool: The Two-Question Career Check

Before you can change anything, you need to be honest with yourself about where you actually are.

So this week, find a quiet corner with your favourite notebook and answer these two questions:

1. Am I learning something that's making me better?
2. Am I earning in a way that reflects my value?

If you answered yes to at least one, that's worth acknowledging. If neither feels true right now, that's important information too.

Then ask yourself which of these habits might be keeping you where you are.

Some of these might sting a little. That's usually a sign they're worth sitting with.

• Telling yourself "at least I have a job"
• Choosing comfort over compensation
• Making excuses about why you can't leave
• Staying because you're scared to start over
• Putting up with a boss who doesn't value you

And which of these you could start doing instead:

• Having honest conversations about your career goals
• Applying for roles even if you don't tick every box
• Setting a timeline for when things need to change
• Networking with people in roles you want
• Updating your CV and LinkedIn regularly

You don't have to do all of them. Just one. This week.

Why this works

Psychologists often describe career stagnation as a form of learned helplessness: when we stop believing our actions can change our circumstances, we stop trying to change them.

The two-question check works because it interrupts that pattern. It forces honesty before comfort. And once you're honest, movement becomes possible.

I've applied this thinking to every career move I've made, from my very first summer job to leaving law entirely.

It has never steered me wrong.

Your career is too important to waste on mediocrity. Ask yourself these two questions regularly and share with a friend who needs to hear this too.

Keep rising,
Lauren

P.S. Which of these two questions feels harder to answer honestly right now, learning or earning? I'd love to know.

Life Lately: Book Mode

I've been spending more time in bookshops at the weekend. Leafing through old classics, discovering new releases. It's quiet. Meditative.

And while I'm deep into my own manuscript, it reminds me of what I'm working towards. Seeing my book spine on a shelf. Someone reaching for it. Someone whose life no longer looks the way they expected, who is somewhere in the middle of their own setback, wondering if a comeback is still possible.

That's who it's for. And I can't wait for them to hold it in their hands.

Before you go:
→ I share daily thoughts on resilience and mindset on LinkedIn & Instagram​
→ If you’d like to explore panels, events or partnerships, work with me​

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