You say you want something more. A promotion. A shift. A new challenge.
You’re ready to step up. You’ve outgrown where you are.
But somehow…
You’re still in the same spot.
Stuck.
Waiting.
Wondering why nothing’s changing.
And that’s when the questions start:
Is it me?
Is it them?
Am I doing something wrong—or is this just how it is now?
I see this all the time. Most recently with a client—let’s call her Emma.
She’s smart, driven, and talented. She’d stepped into a new team with confidence and vision, ready for the next challenge in her career. But instead of being recognised, she got hit with feedback that she wasn’t “on the ball.”
It knocked her flat.
Her first instinct?
It’s the organisation.
It’s the new leader.
They don’t get me. They’re threatened. They don’t value what I bring.
She spiralled inward. Into doubt. Into resentment.
Into what I call below the line thinking.
When I asked her, gently, Where do you think you’re operating from right now?—she paused.
And then she said it: Below the line.
That moment of awareness? That was huge.
But here’s what I need to say clearly: awareness isn’t enough.
Emma didn’t suddenly feel better because she named it.
Shifting above the line didn’t magically erase the frustration or injustice.
But it did one critical thing: it put her back in the driver’s seat.
Because above the line is where you stop defaulting.
You stop blaming.
You stop handing your power over to other people’s opinions or decisions.
You start asking better questions.
You take ownership of how you show up.
You reconnect with what you stand for – and who you are when no one else is watching.
Emma didn’t leave the conversation with a new job or an immediate result.
But she did leave with clarity.
And that clarity gave her the confidence to stop shrinking, stop spiralling, and start choosing differently.
That’s what the Above/Below the Line model does.
It gives you language to name where you’re at, without judgement.
And then it offers you a choice.
Because not choosing is still a choice.
And staying stuck in awareness, waiting for something to shift externally, keeps you in the same cycle.
Choice is the way out.
So if you’re feeling like Emma — ready for more, but stuck in the same spot —a sk yourself this:
Where am I operating from right now?
And what do I choose now?
That second question is where everything changes.
It won’t always feel good immediately. But it will move you forward.
Back into alignment. Back into intention. Back into leadership — starting with yourself.