How Your Career Escape Hatch is Keeping You Stuck
Laurie Swanson
Career Wayfinder Coach for Women Connected to Tech??♀?Career/Job Search Strategist??Find freedom and fun again??Succeed w/Mindset, Energy, and Intuitive tools??Monetize your passions and expertise??TEDx Speaker??
Just in case you have never visited an escape room let me describe it to you.
You and your friends are “locked” inside a themed room or rooms like Haunted Submarine or Zombie Apocalypse. You work together to find clues, solve riddles and complete puzzles before your time runs out.
The premise is that once you enter your chosen room you cannot escape unless you solve the case.
But, of course, you know you can always walk back out the door you entered through no worries.
You always have an escape hatch.
How having an escape hatch in your career is keeping you stuck
One of the things I notice when coaching people who are up against hard situations like having to find a new job, having to release an under-performing employee, or building a pipeline of future customers or connections, is that they will have often make sure they have an escape hatch …
I am not saying to not have a backup plan. I’m not saying don’t ask for help.?
I am saying IMAGINE you do not have a backup plan.
Then ask yourself, “Without my escape hatch, how might this change my daily thoughts and actions?"
Things you might do if you did not have an escape hatch
What if you stopped thinking of the escape hatch and started acting like there was no way out except forward?
The difference between people who stay stuck and those who break through often isn’t talent, luck, or even experience—it’s commitment. When you remove the escape hatch, you create urgency, clarity, and momentum.
So today, try this: Imagine there’s no way out but through.
What would you do differently? Now go do it.
Reply to this article. I would love to know what your escape hatches are and your strategies to close them.
Stay InspiHER’d,
~ Laurie
Storyteller
1 周Great message, Laurie Swanson.
Driving Leadership Retention and DEI Strategy in Aviation & Aerospace | Helping Companies & Women Navigate the DEI Backlash | Speaker | Consultant | Founder, The Elevate Initiative
1 周Such a powerful perspective! It’s so easy to lean on an escape hatch when things feel uncertain—whether it’s waiting for “the right time” to job search or avoiding tough decisions that would actually move us forward. Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to?stop waiting for perfect conditions?and take more intentional action. One big step??Launching my podcast,?"Elevating Women in Aviation and Aerospace"?instead of endlessly tweaking the idea. No escape hatch—just moving forward. Love this reminder that real momentum comes from commitment, not contingency plans! ?? #CareerGrowth #MindsetShift #NoWayOutButThrough