Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
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Your Next Clear Move
How Clarity is the Key to Staying Motivated When the Path Isn’t Clear
Have you ever felt like you're frantically running on a hamster wheel in your career—checking all the boxes, doing everything right, yet still going nowhere? That frustrating sensation of stuckness doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. More likely, it means you're missing clarity.
Motivation doesn't evaporate because you lack ambition. It disappears when you lose sight of what you're working toward and why it matters. This episode tackles how to stay motivated when your professional path feels foggy or uncertain. We explore why your personal clarity—not just generic advice—is the critical ingredient that reconnects you to your purpose, helps you make better choices, and generates the momentum to keep moving forward.
But let's be real: clarity doesn't mean having a color-coded life plan with every detail mapped out. It means honestly assessing what matters to you right now (which might be different than six months ago), understanding what impact you want to make, and thoughtfully choosing where to invest your time and energy. This kind of clarity becomes especially vital in leadership positions, where responsibility can feel overwhelming without a clear direction.
Ready to find your way through the fog? I share a practical framework including: creating space to reflect without multitasking, identifying your core values, talking with someone who can offer perspective, choosing just one priority to focus on, and taking small but intentional "clear moves" within 48 hours. Because the truth is, action creates clarity faster than overthinking ever will. Your next clear move doesn't need to be perfect—it just needs to point you in a direction that matters.
Want more support in finding your clarity? Connect with me on social media or visit debbiepetersonspeaks.com for additional resources to help you lead with greater clarity, confidence, and momentum.
Hey, hello and welcome back. I am Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast. This is the place that I invite you to sit with me for a minute or two, get tips, tools, techniques to help you to create more of an impact in your career, your leadership, your business, but with less of a sacrifice in your life or what's most important to you. So stay tuned.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast, the place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life. Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:And today the topic we are diving into is staying motivated, especially when the path isn't clear. And if there is anything that are going on these days is that things are not clear. So today we're going to talk about how clarity for you is the key to staying motivated when the path in your career, your business, your leadership isn't clear. And let's start with why this even matters. You know that feeling where you're doing all of the things, all the things that you know you need to be doing to get to where you want to go, to where you deserve to go. You're checking all the boxes and yet you feel like a hamster on a wheel. You're just not getting anywhere. You're going through all of the motions but you're really not sure where it is that you are headed. You know that feeling of being stuck doesn't mean you're necessarily doing it wrong, but what it usually does mean is that you're not clear, and I want to help you with that. So motivation doesn't disappear because you're not ambitious enough. Motivation disappears, it fades because you're not really sure what you're working toward, or maybe why it even matters to you, or why it should. And that is why clarity and not just any clarity your clarity is such a big deal. It reconnects you to what's important, it helps you to make better choices, not just busy choices, and it gives you momentum, because once you get direction, once you start taking action, then it's easier to keep going. So that's even the case if the road ahead isn't fully mapped out yet.
Speaker 1:So what do I mean by clarity? Well, let's be real. When I say clarity, I don't mean having a color-coded life plan with every little detail figured out. What I mean is getting honest about a few simple things. First, what actually matters to you right now, because what is most important to you right now might not be the same thing that was most important six months ago, or even six weeks ago or less. Second, what kind of difference do you want to make with what it is that you are doing? Third, how you decide what is worth, because there's a trade-off your time and your energy. If you say something, if you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else, and are you considering that? So clarity doesn't mean certainty, but it does mean direction, and when you have that, you stop chasing everything and you start focusing on what moves the needle for you, and this is especially important if you're in a leadership role or if you're stepping into something new, because if you're unclear, the weight of responsibility only feels heavier. But when you are grounded and clear in what matters, then you lead yourself first and therefore others, and you do that with a whole lot more confidence. So how do you get clear when you're kind of in a fog? All right, kitchy metaphor, but essentially that's what it is. You can't see ahead of you when you're in the fog and if you're sitting in that space of I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 1:Next. Let me help. Here are a few steps that have helped me and others that I've worked with to find some breathing room, a little bit of space, so that you can think about a way forward. The first thing is and I just had a conversation with someone about this to pause and reflect, and I just had a conversation with someone about this to pause and reflect, make space to think without multitasking. I just had a conversation with a woman who is so busy she gets twitchy if she sits on the couch to even watch a TV show, so she just doesn't do it. She is so busy being busy. But the thing is that to make an intentional move in a direction that's important to us. We have to give ourselves the space and the grace to think about it. So make space to think, ask yourself what do I want my work or my life to look like in a year or two? And just let your brain relax and go wherever it wants to go and just see what pops up as a result of that, and then we're going to start working a little bit backwards.
Speaker 1:Next, you want to consider what values are guiding my choices right now. You know I cannot emphasize this enough. Being clear on your values for your career. Being clear on your values for your career, for your business, for who you want to be as a leader. This is your opportunity to really understand who you are and what motivates you and to make decisions based on that. They are your barometer, they are your compass. So, do you know your values? And if not, then that is something that I would highly encourage you to get clear on, because your values will guide your choices. Next, I want you to consider what part of your work actually lights you up, makes your little toes tap. You can do it easily and effortlessly what you know, what is your jam? So give yourself the space to think about that and again, whatever comes up, let it come up.
Speaker 1:Number two talk it out. Sometimes we are so close we cannot see the forest through the trees. So reach out to someone that you trust. Maybe it's a family member, maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a mentor that you have or a coach. Let them reflect back what they see in you, what it is they're hearing with what you're telling them, because that outside perspective can really help pull a thread that will give you clarity.
Speaker 1:Number three pick one thing. I said one. Trying to do everything at once is a recipe for burnout. Ask yourself what is one thing I can focus on right now that will make the biggest difference. What is one thing that you can focus on that will get you into action, even if it's not the right action. You will get feedback, but at least you will be moving. Just do that step.
Speaker 1:Number four take a small clear step. I call it clear moves. So you don't need a grand plan, you just need to know the next step. What is one intentional moves? So you don't need a grand plan, you just need to know the next step. What is one intentional move that points you in the right direction, because action creates clarity more than overthinking ever will. So your next clear move and I'd like you to do this within the next 48 hours All right, I don't want you to wait for motivation to show up.
Speaker 1:I want you to create the conditions for motivation to show up by taking action. So here's what I'd like you to try Jot down your top three priorities right now, what really matters to you in your work, in your leadership. Okay, we're looking at this from a professional perspective. Next, I want you to reach out to someone who can offer you some support, or their perspective. Okay, within the next 48 hours, remember. And then, finally, I want you to take one step.
Speaker 1:Doesn't have to be perfect, doesn't have to be huge. Just make sure that it's intentional, because the clearer you are, the easier it is to stay motivated, even when the whole path ahead of you isn't clear. It's not about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions and making your next clear move. So, if this resonates with you and you're ready for more support, you want some more resources. Terrific, follow me on my social media or head on over to my website, and that has links for all my social media, you can go to wwwdebbypetersonspeakscom, because I've got more tools, ideas and insights for you to lead with more clarity, confidence and momentum. So until the next time, be good to yourself, and here is wishing you all the clarity that you deserve. Take care and bye-bye for now.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast with Debbie Peterson. If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit debbepetersonspeakscom.
