I almost missed it.
A rainbow, hidden in plain sight.
All it took was the tiniest shift—and suddenly, everything changed.

Last weekend, two moments in upstate New York hit me hard. One was a jolt. The other, a quiet revelation.
Both delivered something every ambitious leader eventually craves: clarity.

They reminded me that you don’t always need to reinvent your life or career to move forward.
Sometimes, all it takes is the right move, at the right moment.

Let’s start with the jolt.

Karen Kunkel Young | Creative Coach — Make it stand out

The Cold Plunge That Sparked Career Clarity
I was standing at the edge of a natural watering hole.
64 degrees. Open skies. Wooded trails. And freezing water.
I hate cold water.
My son was convinced I wouldn’t go in.
I knew that nothing would stop me.
So I plunged.
The cold hit like electricity.
I was breathless. Awake. Altered.
And then came the clarity, piercing, undeniable clarity.

I saw everything sharply:
What leap I need to take.
How to raise my game.
Where to laser-focus on what’s mission critical.

Sometimes we don’t need more time to think.
We need a jolt to remember what we already know.

It wasn’t the water that changed me.
It was the choice—to step directly into discomfort, on purpose.

Breakthroughs come from:

Seeing the same thing differently
Choosing discomfort over delay
Acting before you're ready

CHANGE YOUR VIEW, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

The next day, I was swimming in a lake with a small fountain in it. Pretty, but unremarkable. Nothing to write home about.

But then I swam just a few feet to the right, and everything changed.

A rainbow appeared—quiet, unmistakable, and completely hidden until I moved.

I almost missed it.

The fountain hadn’t changed. The sun hadn’t changed. I had.

That tiniest shift revealed something stunning that had been there all along. I just hadn’t seen it from where I started.

Some of the opportunities we’re chasing may already be within reach.
You just can’t see them from where you’re standing.

And yet, most of us keep swimming in the same spot, waiting for clarity, waiting for conditions to change.

What if the clarity won’t come until you move?

Why High-Performing Leaders Often Miss the Breakthrough Right in Front of Them

If you’re a creative leader, founder, or entrepreneur, bold moves are probably your default.
You take risks. You leap before it’s perfect.
But sometimes, even the boldest among us can get stuck even while moving — constantly building, tweaking, perfecting, without actually shifting.

The work looks impressive from the outside.
But inside? You know it’s time for a different kind of move.

You’re not here for surface-level inspiration.
You’re here because something’s shifting.
You’re circling a decision. You can feel it.
You’re standing at the edge of something huge,
But you haven’t quite stepped through yet.

So here’s the shift in tone:

What’s one uncomfortable thing you’ve been avoiding that you already know would change everything?

Is it the conversation you keep putting off?
The risk you keep “researching”?
The launch you keep delaying?

You don’t need another plan.
You need action.

Because not shifting has a cost.
You risk staying stuck in potential.
You risk missing the career breakthrough that’s only a few feet away.

A One-Way Door to UNLOCK YOUR PATH

A one-way door is a decision that, once made, changes everything. You can’t unmake it. You can’t go back.

You don’t need a life overhaul to find clarity.
But you do need a moment of courage that moves you from thinking into becoming.

Pick your plunge. Choose your rainbow.
This is your one-way door. Once you walk through,
the only way forward is forward.

Your Move

If you’re navigating a career transition, a breakthrough, or a bold new launch, don’t wait for perfect conditions.
Sometimes, the shift you need is only a few feet away.

If you're ready to stop reacting and start designing your next chapter, I’d love to help you make the move you already know it’s time to make. Reach out here and let’s start a conversation.