The essay, Seven Career Narratives Keeping Ambitious People Stuck named the narratives. This is the part where you figure out which of those narratives is keeping your stuck, and learn exactly what you can do about it.
The diagnostic makes more sense with that context, but it works on its own too!
Go through each question and mark down your answer on a piece of paper. If more than one answer for a question applies, you can record multiple answers. For example, Question 6- A,C,F
Which Career Narrative Is Keeping You Stuck?
Question 1
A college acquaintance just posted on LinkedIn that their business made $5M this year. Your instant reaction is:
A. I find myself clicking through their whole profile trying to figure out how they got there.
B. Good for them. I wonder sometimes what would have happened if I'd taken more risks earlier, but I'm too far into my current path to think about that now.
C. Impressive, but most businesses don't sustain that. It's probably not as stable as it looks.
D. Interesting. I'd want to understand their model and the full picture before I'd know if something like that was actually replicable.
E. They probably had funding, connections, or a safety net that made it easier than it would have been for me.
F. Some people are just built for that kind of risk and execution. I'm honestly not sure I have it in me.
Question 2
You feel unfulfilled in your job and as a result, you've started to experience insomnia. As you lay awake, you realize that you would love to leave your industry to try something new. The thought that most reliably stops you is:
A. There is no way I would actually do this. How would I even begin.
B. I'd be letting people down or walking away from something I committed to.
C. It probably won't be that different anyway. Work is work, I need to stop dreaming like it isn't.
D. I need a lot more information before I could make a real decision.
E. People in that field already have networks I'd never be able to build at this point.
F. I've never really been someone who makes big leaps. That's just not how I operate.
Question 3
You're in the exact same place today as you were a year ago. Same role, same pay, same responsibilities. When you sit with that, you feel:
A. Unsettled. I keep watching other people move while I stay still.
B. Guilty. I know what I want but I can’t justify going after it.
C. Resigned. This is probably just what career progress looks like for most people.
D. Anxious. I’ve been researching my next move but haven’t made it yet.
E. Frustrated. The path forward seems blocked by things outside my control.
F. Defeated. Maybe I’m just not someone who moves up.
