A Letter to My Ideal Client
“Do other people think about their purpose this much?” a client asked earnestly in one of our sessions.
She found herself questioning whether or not she was on the “right path.” For the previous five years, her path had been fairly prescribed. But lately, she kept bumping up against different versions of the same question: “Now what?”
I have the honor of coaching another client who, in our discovery call, admitted, “I didn’t expect it to feel this way” after two years as a non-traditional medical student. His vision was clear. It’s not that he regretted his career pivot or wanted a different path, but something needed to change in how he moved forward from here.
These are two people who I know care deeply about the impact they’re making and the way they’re contributing to this world.
There’s a difference between the high-achiever who achieves for external recognition and the one who is courageous enough to recognize when their achievements aren’t fueling them in the way they expected, or in the way they once did.
Howard Thurman wrote, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Passion. Purpose. Impact. Fulfillment. These are lofty, often intangible concepts. They circle a larger, more universal, and uniquely human question of meaning.
I’ve grappled with similar concepts myself.
For a long time, questions like “What’s your passion?” or “What’s your purpose?” sparked in me the same level of existential uncertainty as “Why are we here?” or “How big is the universe?”
I envied those who appeared to have found their passions early in life - the piano prodigies, the born entrepreneurs, the athletic legends. I wanted my purpose to be obvious and clear.
One night, in the college dorms, I shared these feelings with my roommate. She listened and empathized, as great friends do. The next morning, as I put on my jacket to head to class, I found a note in my pocket. She had written on a small piece of scrap paper: “Your passion is people.”
We all have these moments in our lives - turning points, nudges, signs - that stick with us. I’ve thought about that note throughout my career, and I know it has shaped the coach I am today.
I want you to consider this letter to be the note in your pocket and a catalyst for the change you’ve been craving.
Dear High-Achiever -
We both know you are more than your achievement, more than your accolades, but marketing rules say I have to choose a “niche” and this is the label I’ve chosen. In case this specific label doesn’t resonate with you, allow me to elaborate. Here’s what I know to be true about you:
I know that you bring a standard of excellence and an owner mindset to everything you do. “Exceeds expectations” has basically been stamped into your life’s report card. It’s part of who you are, who you know yourself to be.
I know you move through the world driven (consciously or unconsciously) by the belief that everything happens as a direct result of hard work. For years, you’ve been marching along, progressing, and optimizing your way to real results.
But I didn’t write this letter simply to address who you are. I wrote this letter to address where you are and to meet you at this specific juncture.
And that juncture is this: The path you’ve chosen to follow has started to feel limited, confined, constricted.
You’re self-aware enough to realize that the drive that once fueled you has been replaced by disorienting (and borderline existential) questions like “What is any of this for?”.
And you can’t seem to think your way out of it. There’s likely no obvious or rational reason for you to be feeling this way.
Despite your long-standing commitment to personal responsibility, current motivation is low. Growth has stagnated. Creativity has been stifled for… who knows how long. Progress alone is no longer enough.
There’s a restlessness brewing, a longing for deeper purpose, fulfillment, impact, and… dare I say, joy.
Deep down (or maybe not so deep down), you know it’s time for something new, and you’re ready to approach this change with intention. Old patterns, limiting beliefs, outdated rules, and outgrown identities: these obstructions end here.
You’re ready to recalibrate. To explore new possibilities.
And I want that for you too.
Borrowing the language of Gay Hendricks, you’ve mastered your zone of excellence. It’s now time to step into and claim your Zone of Genius: that is, the unique way you’re here to contribute to the world. It’s time to believe in the possibility of a future where your life and work could be radically different.
You might hate me for saying this, but the only way to discover the possibilities waiting for you is to slow down.
Not forever. Just long enough to stop forcing, pushing, or being swept up in false, scarcity-based urgency. Long enough to stop recycling a version of someone else’s life. Long enough to stop outsourcing your knowing to every book, podcast, leader, and social-media influencer you come across. Long enough to give your intuition the space and credit it deserves.
Because the truth is, the world needs you to be you… now more than ever. We need Ideas that are born from an expanded view of who you are and the impact you can make in this world. And, we need more people intentionally and authentically creating lives rooted in joy and fulfillment.
In the words of Elizabeth Gilbert: “…we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”
So, slow down and ask yourself, “What if I poured my energy and ambition into something I actually cared about? What would I create then?”
In my work, I refer to the things you genuinely want to create, experience, and contribute to in this lifetime as Ideas (note the capital I). But here’s the thing… knowing what you genuinely want and having the courage to champion those Ideas isn’t easy. It can be difficult to know (and scary to admit) the things you genuinely want.
Your judgment against your own creativity and, therefore, against your Ideas is what’s keeping your life small, what’s causing it to feel constricted. Not your circumstances. Your thinking. And how that thinking impacts your behavior. As Martha Beck points out, “Until you reject this prejudice against your own dreams, I guarantee they won’t come true.”
When I work 1:1 with clients, the first step is to create a space that feels safe enough to be unpolished and imperfect. A place to grieve and let go of what’s no longer working. Then, a place to draft, dream, and discover without judgement or obligation.
But that’s only the beginning.
While identifying your Ideas (the what) can be difficult, the real challenge is in the how.
Because, there’s no point in trying to build something you love in a manner you despise. So, allow me to introduce you to a method you may not have previously considered: your way.
Not the way it’s always been done. Not the five simple steps to get there. Not even the roadmap you received from the person you most admire. You don’t need a map. You need to learn how to read (and trust) your own compass.
This is what it means to be a Wayfinder, someone using a variety of tools and resources to navigate through life, business, and all of the Ideas within.
When we speak about a Zone of Genius, this is mine. This is the work I’m uniquely qualified to do in the world as a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach: helping you wayfind your way to your Ideas, creating your purpose-filled life.
I do this work because I believe your Ideas can be catalysts for both personal and societal evolution (if you let them).
This work isn’t selfish. We are microcosms of the macrocosm, so any change for better that you wish to see in the world has to begin within. You have to be willing to allow your Ideas to be catalysts for change internally before they can create change externally.
You do this by slowing down, getting curious, reconnecting to creativity, discovering new Ideas, scaling your impact, and cycling through these key ingredients time and time again until you find yourself cooking up a new, anomalous way of life.
Sounds radical, doesn’t it? There’s a reason my business is called Anomaly. The name is a guiding light for both me and my clients. A built-in permission slip to deviate from what is standard, normal, or expected.
If you’re still reading this letter, I imagine you’ve found something recognizable here.
If that’s the case, if you find yourself craving the type of change that would bring more purpose, joy and fulfillment into your life, I’ll encourage you to reach out and explore coaching.
Here’s what previous clients have had to say about their experience:
“As a very action-oriented and fast-paced person, I tend to think that doing more and adding more to my plate is the answer. On more than one occasion, Sarah has helped me see that sometimes just the opposite can be true.” - Alex Johnson
“The coaching sessions with Sarah helped open my eyes to a different way to vision/dream for myself and my business. I had always believed that "a dream is useless unless acted upon." This limited my ability to think bigger as we worked on viewing these dreams with more of an observatory view.” - Ted Everson
“[Sarah] helped me to stop overworking my way toward clarity and reminded me to play with possibility.” - Laura Johnson
If exploring coaching together feels like the right next step for you, I’m ready to hear from you. You can schedule your (free) discovery call here.
To be intentional with our time, please let me know which of the following is true for you:
"I'm actively looking for a coach."
"I'm curious about coaching but not sure if I'm ready to investment in myself."
"I'm simply looking forward to getting to know each other/catching up."
If you’d prefer to continue marching along, progressing, and optimizing as you always have, I’ll be here if that stops working for you or when you’re ready to try something new.
Sincerely,
Sarah
