At different points in my career, I’ve felt like I had too many options—and at others like I had none. But both were illusions. Whether I was stuck at a job that drained me or juggling three business ideas and a move across continents, one truth always brought me back:

We’re not here to choose the “right” option. We’re here to build the path that feels right for who we’re becoming.

This article is for anyone who’s in that messy middle: wondering what comes next, unsure if they’re making the “right” decision, and searching for a framework to guide the process. I’ve lived this, and I’ve helped dozens of others through it. Let’s walk through how to translate your vision into tangible next steps—and stay grounded in both intention and action.

Step 1: Convert Your Vision Into Options

If you’ve already crafted a long-term vision (your North Star), now it’s time to get practical. What career paths, projects, or roles might help bring that vision to life?

Here’s how I once broke mine down:

• Option 1: Stay in my current PM role and grow into a leadership position

• Option 2: Transition into a wellness-tech founder role

• Option 3: Launch a coaching and consulting hybrid business

 📝 Exercise: 

List 3–5 options, even if they feel wildly different. Be specific. Add details like job titles, industries, or specific companies. Don’t censor yourself here—this is ideation, not decision time.

Step 2: Think "AND" Instead of "OR"

As Chip and Dan Heath say in Decisive, “When you’re stuck between this or that, ask if there’s a way to do both.”

For example:

• Can you keep your current role and start freelancing in a new field?

• Could you take a part-time contract and enroll in a certification?

Many paths are non-linear blends, not binary switches. Especially if you’re in an experimental phase, build bridges—not cliffs.

Eastern thought teaches that yin and yang are not opposites, but complementary forces. Integration is power.

Step 3: Map Your Options as Avenues

For each path, ask:

• What are the possible routes into this field?

• Do I need a new credential, experience, or network?

• Who do I know that’s already doing this?

 📝 Exercise:

Complete the sentence: “Some possible avenues into this option might be…”

Step 4: Write Short- and Long-Term Goals for Each Option

Break each path down into what success would look like in:

• The next 1–3 years (short-term)

• The next 5–10 years (long-term)

This helps you avoid tunnel vision and dream from both a practical and aspirational place.

Example:

• Short-term: Build a personal brand on LinkedIn and coach 10 beta clients.

• Long-term: Launch a digital coaching business serving 100+ clients annually and speaking at conferences.

Step 5: Rank Your Options Based on Your Values

Return to your Top 10 Core Values and rate each option based on alignment. Create a simple matrix:

👉🏽 This makes tradeoffs more visible—and helps you choose what matters most.

Step 6: Envision Your Future Self

Use the Hypothetical Future Self technique from psychology:

• Visualize a day in the life for each option.
• What are you doing?
• How do you feel?
• Who are you surrounded by?

👉🏽 Pair this with mental contrasting—acknowledge both the dream outcome and the real obstacles you’ll face. This creates motivation and clarity.

📝 Exercise: 

Journal on these questions.

• What would I regret not trying?

• How would this decision feel in 1 year? 5 years?

• What’s the worst-case scenario—and could I handle it?

Step 7: Identify Gaps & Discovery Time

You may not have all the info yet. That’s okay.

Label any option that needs a Discovery Phase:

• Research the field

• Talk to 3 people in the role

• Shadow, freelance, or intern

This is not procrastination—it’s informed decision-making.

In Vedic astrology, the “Dasha” system suggests we all move through life cycles. You might be in a research and planting phase, not a harvesting one. Honor the season you’re in.

Step 8: Let Go of the Sunk-Cost Fallacy

You are not your past choices. Don’t cling to old roles, degrees, or industries just because you’ve invested time or money. That’s a bias called the sunk-cost fallacy.

You get to pivot. Growth is allowed.

📝 Exercises Recap

Clarify Your Options:

1. List 3–5 potential career paths or job types.

2. Brainstorm short-term and long-term goals for each.

3. Write possible avenues to explore each one.

Rank & Reflect:

4. Create a value-alignment matrix.

5. Journal your hypothetical future self for each path.

6. Note discovery needs or unknowns for each option.

Make a Decision:

7. Use the Regret Minimization Framework (what would future-you regret not doing?)

8. Identify your first step for the top 1–2 options.

Final Thoughts: You Can Begin Before You're Ready

You don’t have to choose forever. You just have to choose what’s next.

Remember, your path is allowed to shift.

The goal is not perfection. It’s alignment, experimentation, and learning.

So start. Take the next small step. The rest will reveal itself.