From the Company of One podcast
Almost every conversation I’ve had lately starts the same way.
“How are things going?”
The answer is almost always immediate.
“Honestly… things are great.”
And to be fair, many times things are good.
The job is stable. The paycheck is solid. The company is fine. Nothing dramatic is wrong.
But something interesting often happens if the conversation continues.
A few minutes later, after a couple of deeper questions, the story starts to shift.
“Well… I mean… it’s good, but…”
That hesitation is important.
Not because someone was lying.
Because sometimes we repeat a comfortable explanation about our situation until it feels completely true.
Then someone asks a question that forces us to think a little harder.
And suddenly the story we’ve been telling ourselves doesn’t sound quite the same.
This episode of the podcast explores that moment — the moment when the story starts to crack.
1. Most People Are Running on a Comfortable Story
Humans naturally create narratives about their lives. Those stories help us make sense of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
When it comes to work, the story usually sounds reasonable.
“I have a good job.”
“The company treats me well.”
“It’s stable.”
“I’m doing fine.”
None of those statements are necessarily wrong.
In fact, they are often technically accurate.
But sometimes they hide something deeper — quiet signals that something isn’t quite right.
Signals like:
- Feeling stuck despite being capable of more
- Losing the sense of momentum you once had
- Wondering if you should be building something of your own
- Feeling curious about other opportunities but never exploring them
These thoughts don’t usually show up in everyday conversation.
They stay in the background until something causes you to pause and examine them.
2. The Right Question Can Break the Story
Most people rarely get asked real questions about their direction.
Not surface-level questions like:
“How’s work going?”
“Busy week?”
But questions that require reflection.
Questions like:
- Where is this actually going?
- If nothing changes, what does the next five years look like?
- What value do you own that exists independent of your company?
When someone answers questions like these honestly, something interesting happens.
The brain has to stop repeating the familiar narrative and start examining reality.
That’s when you hear the shift in someone’s voice.
They pause.
They slow down.
And then they say something like:
“I’ve actually been thinking about that lately…”
That moment matters.
Because awareness is often the first step toward change.
3. Awareness Is the Beginning of Movement
The goal of these conversations isn’t to convince someone to quit their job or make a dramatic move.
The goal is much simpler.
It’s clarity.
When someone becomes more aware of their situation, their behavior naturally begins to change.
They start paying attention to different things.
They begin asking better questions.
They look for ways to create more leverage and ownership over their direction.
In many cases, nothing changes overnight.
But the thinking changes.
And once the thinking changes, the trajectory often follows.
The Question Worth Asking Yourself
Sometimes the most valuable thing someone can do for you isn’t give advice.
It’s ask a question you’ve been avoiding.
A question that forces you to look honestly at the story you’ve been repeating in your head.
If the story holds up under pressure, that’s great.
But if it doesn’t, that awareness might be exactly what you need to start moving in a different direction.
Listen to the Full Episode
In this episode, I talk more about the conversations I’ve been having and the moment when people begin realizing the story they’ve been telling themselves may not be the whole truth.
▶ Listen to the full episode at the top or bottom of this page
▶ Watch the full episode on my YouTube Channel
A Question for You
If nothing changed in your work for the next five years…
What would your situation look like?
And would you be satisfied with that outcome?
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— focused on clarity, ownership, and taking control of your direction without hype.
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