The Permission You Didn’t Know You Needed

The Permission You Didn’t Know You Needed

High achiever? This might surprise you

You don’t need to push harder. You need to pause deeper.

For years, I thought progress came from pushing.

More goals. More hours. More achievement.

It worked—on the surface.

But underneath? I was slowly disconnecting from myself.

When I finally gave myself permission to pause, I realised something I hadn’t dared admit before:

👉 I didn’t know what I actually wanted anymore.

I had everything I was supposed to want.

Titles. Travel. Teams.

But my inner compass had gone quiet.

And the more successful I became, the less permission I felt I had to stop and ask questions.

Because when you’re “winning,” people expect you to keep going.

You expect it from yourself.

But what I’ve learned through my own journey—and in coaching leaders, founders and creatives—is this:

You don’t need more productivity.

You need more permission.

Permission to be uncertain.

Permission to feel.

Permission to want something radically different.

Permission to say:

“I’ve outgrown this.”

Try this:

Take 5 minutes today and answer this:

🧭 What’s one thing you secretly want—but haven’t given yourself permission to pursue?

Don’t filter it.

Don’t justify it.

Just name it.

That’s the first step to real clarity.

If this resonates and you’re navigating your own shift, reply to this email or DM me on LinkedIn.

No pitch. Just a conversation.

You’re not alone. And you don’t need to figure it all out before you reach out.

Because the truth is:

It’s not about changing everything.

It’s about listening to the part of you that already knows.

Warmly,

Hugh