It's All Figureoutable

Hello there. Molweni, Molweni :)

This week, we’re skipping the pleasantries because we need to get straight into it.

Two weeks ago, I ended my blog post about my career pivot with a question: If you haven’t taken the leap yet, what’s holding you back?

If that post resonated with you in any way, I hope you’ve taken a moment to really sit with that question. What’s stopping you? What’s keeping you from making a move?

In my experience, and from conversations with others, two big things tend to stand in our way: a limited view of what’s possible (because we often just don’t have enough information), and fear of the unknown.

Let’s start with the latter.

My goal for this post is simple: to remind all of us that most things are figureoutable.

Figureoutable… is that a word? 😂 Just go with it, okay? 😆

Whatever it is you feel unqualified for, unsure about, or intimidated by, trust that you can figure it out. By that I mean, even if you find yourself in a completely unfamiliar environment, your experiences and the skills you’ve built can help you navigate and succeed.

Don’t let what you don’t yet know keep you from taking that leap. The unknown isn’t a stop sign. It’s just the next chapter, and yes, it’s figureoutable.

For your peace of mind, let me remind you: everyone who’s “killing it” today started off as a beginner. If you want to build a meaningful career, you have to get comfortable with taking on new challenges, and sometimes starting afresh. You have to be okay with being a beginner.

Stop thinking about your job as just a mundane activity you clock in and out of every day. Instead, start paying attention:

• What skills are you gaining through your current role?

• What skills from past roles are you applying now?

• What systems have you built or improved?

When you recognize these things, you’ll see they’re transferable. You can take them anywhere. If you step back from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day work, you’ll realize most skills are portable.

I want to circle back to a concept I mentioned in earlier posts: your productivity process. That’s another skill you can carry with you, no matter where you go. But it requires awareness and care to notice.

This is why it’s so important not just to work a job, but to build a career.

What’s the difference? Working a job means focusing only on your current role and responsibilities without thinking beyond it. Building a career means not just executing tasks, but being aware of the skills you’re developing and constantly auditing and improving them. It’s about building capabilities, not just completing assignments.

Everything is figureoutable. You already have the tools, and if you don’t, you have the means to find them.

This applies not just to new opportunities, but also to new challenges in your current role. We often freeze at the thought of new responsibilities, sometimes even self-sabotaging. We forget all the times before when we didn’t know what to do, and then figured it out. Just like then, you can figure out what’s ahead of you. It’s all figureoutable. Change your mindset.

Let me wrap up by touching on how having limited information can sometimes limit us.

Sometimes we don’t take action, whether it’s pursuing a new role, a pivot, or new responsibilities, simply because we don’t know what’s possible. That’s why it’s so important to do the work of researching and intentionally exposing ourselves to new ideas, people, and spaces.

Often, we avoid environments that intimidate us. But those spaces? They’re fertile ground for growth.

So if opportunities come your way, take them. Step into rooms that stretch you. Talk to professionals who are further along. Learn from people who are doing better than you. Platforms like LinkedIn are valuable for this exact reason, they give us access to insights and individuals we wouldn’t otherwise encounter.

So scroll LinkedIn a little more often. Follow people who inspire you. Engage with content that challenges you or opens your mind.

This desire to make information more accessible is one of the key reasons I’m building this platform. Professionals need spaces to connect, and young people need access to career-relevant content. I’m genuinely excited about the resources I’m working on launching here; they’re designed to bridge that gap. So please, be patient with me (and say a prayer or two!) as I work to bring some of these ideas to life. They’re not just passion projects, they’re necessary.

Please also remember that while others can bring information to you, you must also be committed to seeking it out for yourself. Ask yourself regularly: What’s my game plan? As you begin to answer that question, bit by bit, you’ll start to uncover what you need.

As the old saying goes: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

In closing, whether you’re at the start of a pivot or deep in the middle of one, be more committed to building your career, not just doing your job.

Read the books. Listen to the podcasts. Talk to the people around you. Many of us are lucky enough to work alongside professionals who are where we want to be, ask them how they got there. You’ll uncover insights that go far beyond what you’ll find in articles or bios.

And when you get access to those spaces or people, seize the opportunity.

Because the truth is: It’s all figureoutable. You just have to stay open, stay curious, and keep going.

Have an intentional and blessed week.

Lots of love,

Zizo