If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been told to “focus on one thing” more times than you can count.

But here’s the truth.

I’ve discovered through personal experience and mentoring others: we are not one-dimensional. We’re multi-passionate, dynamic.

And sometimes, clarity doesn’t come from choosing the right path — it comes from exploring the ones that excite us the most.

This writing is for the dreamers, the doers, and the decision-fatigued. If you’re wrestling with too many career options, I write this for you.

Step 1: Write Out Your Career Options

Think of this as your brainstorming phase. No judgment, no “too crazy” ideas. Just list everything that excites or intrigues you — the practical and the dreamy.

Example from my own journey:

1. Product Growth → Series A startup in health tech

2. Product Coach → 1:1 sessions and a product management program

3. Writer → Ambition, Redesigned Newsletter

4. Co-Founder → SaaS start-up

5. Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor → Studying at YoSan University

This exercise helped me see that I didn’t have a lack of direction — I had an abundance of possibilities. I just needed to prioritize.

Step 2: Visualize Each Option as If It’s Your Only Path

Take each option and picture it as your only life for the next 2–5 years. How does it feel? Use your whole body to respond — not just your mind.

Try this:

• Close your eyes.

• Visualize yourself waking up, commuting, interacting with people, solving problems, and ending your day.

• Ask yourself: Does this give me energy or drain me?

Eastern wisdom reminds us to listen to our intuition (Buddhi in Sanskrit) — the quiet inner compass beneath the noise of fear and ego.

Western psychology supports this, too. According to research by Dr. Timothy Wilson, mental simulation — visualizing future scenarios — helps people make better decisions and commit more confidently.

Step 3: Rank Options Based on What Matters Most

We can’t have everything all at once. Trade-offs are part of growth. But conscious trade-offs — that’s where power lies.

Pull out your values list (if you haven’t made one yet, go to the “Understand Yourself” section).

Here are examples of criteria you can use:

• Purpose

• Financial stability

• Learning & growth

• Location

• Community & relationships

• Health & energy

Template to use:

✅ Use this matrix to guide your decision-making, not dictate it. This is just one tool among many.

Step 4: Sequence or Combine Paths

What if the answer isn’t “this OR that,” but “this THEN that,” or even “this AND that”?

I used to think I had to choose between coaching and building a tech career.

Eventually, I realized I could build products by day and coach on weekends. When I burned out, I took a step back and focused solely on healing and writing. One flowed into the next.

Try asking:

• Can I combine any options into one job, side hustle, or collaboration?

• Can I sequence these — do one now and another later?

• What’s realistic given my bandwidth and responsibilities?

Psychologist Barry Schwartz, in The Paradox of Choice, reminds us that the freedom to choose can become a burden. But intentional sequencing offers clarity — and freedom with direction.

Step 5: Reflect on These Guiding Questions

Let’s dig deeper.

1. Which option would feel painful not to try?

   • Pay attention to the tugs on your heart — what you daydream about, or regret not starting sooner.

2. Which path fits this chapter of your life?

   • For example: If you're early in your career or don’t have dependents, maybe it’s the right time to take a financial risk. If you're craving stability, another path may feel more aligned.

3. What is realistically holding you back from each option?

   • Is it fear? Money? Lack of clarity? Sometimes just naming the fear reduces its power.

4. Which option brings you closer to your North Star Vision?

   • Revisit your 5- and 10-year vision. Which path creates momentum toward that?

5. What’s your financial reality — and what are you willing to trade?

   • Financial grounding is essential.

   • Ask:

     • How much do I need to live comfortably if I choose a lower-paying role?

     • Would I be willing to “invest” a portion of my savings in myself, like people invest in an MBA?

     • Are there competing priorities (family, home, wedding, savings) that impact this decision?

Your Path Forward

This exercise isn’t meant to box you in. It’s meant to help you listen. To yourself. To your reality. To your intuition.

As Lao Tzu said,

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” The path you choose doesn’t have to be permanent — it just needs to be yours, right now.

Start Here:

• Fill in your career options.

• Map out your criteria and ranking matrix.

• Journal your reflections using the guiding questions above.

Then — pause. Breathe. And decide on one small step to move forward.

That’s it. One step. Your future will meet you there.