Critical Mass: The Moment Everything Changes (Including You)
It all started with one of those deceptively simple questions.
I was working as a career counselor at the time, trying to help clients find jobs in a system that felt like a very complicated dance—with the tempo constantly changing, the steps unclear, and half the dancers wearing the wrong shoes.
One day, someone asked, “Why aren’t more of your clients hitting their employment goals?”
I blinked. Thought for a second. And then said with the kind of exasperated honesty that only years of caffeine and spreadsheets can deliver:
“Because they have this pesky thing called free will.”
Ah, yes—free will. That glorious, maddening, deeply human quality that refuses to color inside the lines. It was, at the time, the bane of my existence.
But then… I started thinking about myself.
The Truth About My Own Trajectory
I’d gone to college with a noble plan: become a doctor. You know, like people do. Steady income. Clear track. Validation galore.
Spoiler alert: I am not a doctor.
Instead, I’ve rerouted my career path more times than I can count—at least 1,000 times if we’re being spiritually honest (and ADHD honest, which might be even more accurate).
I’ve gone from dream to dream with a blend of excitement, restlessness, and a brain that absolutely refuses to sit in one box forever. And that little voice—the one that says, “Oooh, what if we try this instead?”—has never really left me alone.
What I once saw as a flaw, a lack of focus, a commitment problem… I now see as part of my power.
The ADHD Brain and the Myth of “Sticking With One Thing”
Let’s talk about this for a second, especially if your brain also moves faster than your mouth (and your calendar).
Living with ADHD means living with constant curiosity. It means being pulled toward possibility, sometimes without a plan. It means careening between deep hyperfocus and spontaneous creativity with the passion of a caffeinated squirrel.
And for most of our lives, we’ve been told that this is a problem.
That changing your mind is a red flag. That quitting something means you’ve failed. That being “too many things” makes you not enough of one thing.
But what if none of that is true?
What if changing your mind is a sign of evolution, not flakiness? What if diverging from the original plan is simply you finding the one that fits now? What if critical mass—the moment everything changes—isn’t a breakdown… but a breakthrough?
The Moment It All Hit Me
Back to my office. Back to that question. I sat there in silence after the “free will” comment, feeling equal parts smug and stunned. And then it happened.
What if I’ve been looking at this all wrong?
What if my job isn’t to steer people toward one “right” destination—but to help them believe they’re allowed to grow, even if that means taking a wildly different path?
I mean… look at my own story. I didn’t follow the plan. I authored a new one. Over and over again.
And maybe… just maybe… everyone else is doing the same thing.
Suddenly, I realized that my clients weren’t failing to commit. They were just becoming. In real-time. With free will and messy truths and dreams that wouldn’t sit still.
And my role? It wasn’t to push them toward outcomes.
It was to walk beside them as they evolved.
That realization? That was my critical mass.
What Happens at Critical Mass
In life, it’s often quieter—but no less powerful.
Critical mass is when:
You realize your old path doesn’t fit, and you stop apologizing for it.
You feel something stirring that you can’t ignore anymore.
You stop asking for permission to want something different.
You trade control for clarity and certainty for curiosity.
You see your neurodivergence not as a detour, but as data.
You might not even see it coming.
Sometimes, it looks like being laid off. Sometimes, it looks like a gut-punch conversation. Sometimes, it looks like journaling a single sentence that changes everything:
“I think I’m ready now.”
The True Job of a Reinvention Coach (Spoiler: It’s Not What You Think)
So yes—eventually I was laid off. Budget cuts. Outcome metrics. The usual.
And I could’ve taken it as proof that I “didn’t stick the landing.” But instead, I saw it for what it was: a realignment disguised as rejection.
Because I was never meant to shove people into linear careers. I was meant to walk beside brave humans as they crafted nonlinear lives.
I traded employment outcomes for soul outcomes. I traded job placement for purposeful emergence. I stopped trying to “fix” people and started celebrating the fact that they can’t stop growing.
I became a reinvention coach not because I mastered the perfect path—but because I understand what it means to change your mind with integrity.
If You’re at Critical Mass… Here’s What I Want You to Know
You’re not broken. You’re not confused. You’re not flaky, inconsistent, or “too much.”
You’re reaching the moment when who you’ve been collides with who you’re becoming. And it’s okay to let the old structure fall away.
Especially if your ADHD brain has been whispering something bold like:
“What if I don’t need to finish everything I start to still be successful?”
“What if I stop measuring value by productivity and start using alignment instead?”
“What if my nonlinear journey is a feature, not a flaw?”
Guess what? You’re not alone.
You’re reaching critical mass. You’re about to break open—not down.
And something extraordinary happens when you stop resisting your own evolution.
Final Thought: Trust the Change That Chose You
You didn’t miss your purpose. You’re not late.
You’ve simply been building momentum—quietly, uniquely, beautifully—until you reached this sacred threshold.
Now?
It’s time to choose again. With compassion. With curiosity. With full-bodied permission to explore all your versions.
Because reinvention isn’t about who you should’ve been.
It’s about who you are now—and who you’re daring to become next.
And I’m honored to walk with you as you do.
Comments
Post a Comment