Last week didn’t go to plan.

At the start of the week, my middle child Jenson quit swimming. For context he’s ranked top 2 in the UK for most of his events. The response from others was immediate:

“You’re letting him throw it away.”
“He could have been an Olympian.”
“He hasn’t even begun to fulfil his potential.”
“If he quits now, he’ll never be this good again.”

What I say to that is, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

Who is to say if this decision is misfortune or indeed fortune?

Four days later, after choosing mountain biking as his main sport, he had a serious accident;
a grade 2 spleen laceration and a fractured wrist.

In the hospital, the boy opposite had been run over by a car.

He seemed “lucky”, just a broken thumb.
Until a scan revealed a brain tumour that had been growing for years.

One question

What is one event in your life which you assigned meaning to, only to discover a different perspective over time?

One insight

Read the Chinese Farmer philosophy that changed my outlook on life on LinkedIn here.

One action

Catch yourself in the moment you label something as good or bad.
A decision, disruption, or an unexpected turn.

Pause.

And instead of assigning meaning, say:

Maybe so. Maybe not.

And let that be enough for now.

Keep opening up,
Hannah

When you’re ready. Here’s two free ways and two paid ways I can support you:

Step 1: Join over 3,000+ others and benchmark your career in under 4 minutes
Step 2: Attend the April Intentional Careers™ Workshop
Step 3: Apply for 121 Coaching or my group coaching programme The Career Design Mastermind

• Cohort 11 → SOLD OUT
• Cohort 12 starts mid-April 2026 → limited places remaining. The Career Design Mastermind

Now booking 2026 keynotes, workshops, and events (online and in-person). Find out more.