Fixing the Wrong Thing
What I’ve learned about motion, clarity, and the work I avoided in my own business
Why do I give my clients space to define the real problem, but so rarely give that space to myself?
I have seen how powerful it is to slow down, get clear, and ask better questions before rushing into solutions. But when something in my own business feels off, when the leads slow down or the momentum dips, I still feel that urgency to act.
Do something. Make a move.
And usually, that move looks like a new tactic. I tell myself I just need a new campaign. New messaging, a different offer, a few well-crafted emails.
Something to get things going again. It feels responsible. It feels like motion. But it is only recently that I have started to notice how often that motion is covering for something else. Not a lack of activity, but a lack of clarity.
Here is what I have been learning. When something is not working the way I want, whether that is lead flow, conversions, or consistency, it is easy to assume the problem is simple. I need more attention. I need a new strategy.
But what I rarely do is stop and ask what is necessary for this to work.
That question has become a turning point for me. Instead of asking what I should try next, I am starting with what are the necessary conditions for this goal to be possible.
For example, if I want more consistent inbound leads, then I need many things to be true.
My offer needs to be clear and compelling.
My message needs to reach the right people.
There needs to be a way for someone to take the next step.
I need to show up often enough and in the right places for people to trust me.
Once I map out those conditions, the work becomes obvious. I can see what is missing.
Maybe the offer is strong, but I have not committed to saying the same thing long enough for anyone to notice.
Or maybe I am showing up regularly, but I am talking about too many things, so nothing sticks.
Or maybe I have overcomplicated it, and what I really need is to keep going with what I already started.
One moment stands out. I had launched a campaign a while back that actually worked okay. It brought in leads. People responded. But it did not feel like a home run. So I quietly stopped. And instead of improving it, I started building a whole new one. New assets, new list, new hook. But in hindsight, I did not need a new campaign.
Maybe this was the right move, I will never know because I didn’t test nor think about any alternatives. What really bugs me, I didn’t stop, think and understand which of the necessary conditions was missing. You could argue that the OK success provided an ROI but what is clear now, I didn’t do the hard work to learn and grow.
Now, before I move into action, I try to write a clear, one sentence problem statement. The more clearly I can make this sentence and the more clearly it is tied to the necessary conditions the better probability I have of an ACTUAL solution.
This is the work I help others do all the time. But I am learning to offer it to myself. To stop chasing motion and start creating conditions. Because once I know what is really missing, I stop spinning. And I start building something that can actually hold.
What is the condition that needs to be true, but is not yet?
If this helped you see something more clearly, consider sharing it with one person you respect.
Not to go viral. Not to prove a point. But because there is real value in being the person who sends something that actually helps.
Maybe they have been wrestling with the same questions. Maybe they just need language for something they already know.
When you forward Unstuck, you are doing more than sharing a newsletter. You are saying I thought of you and I think this might help. That kind of signal cuts through the noise. That is how onPurpose Growth grows with intention, not algorithms. And for that, truly, I am grateful.