Elena Agafonova

Coach | Author | Career Pivot Guide 🌱

Letters of Change A weekly reflection on change, self-trust, and finding your way forward Begin where you are

Hello and welcome, Reader!

This week, while sorting through old notebooks, I came across one I hadn't opened in years.

As I started reading through its pages, I was immediately transported back to a very different chapter of my life.

At the time, I was preparing to move to another country. I wanted to build an international coaching practice, expand my professional network, and redefine my career in a much bigger world.

It was an exciting vision.

And… It was also a deeply uncertain time.

Too many things were beyond my control.

Then, in the middle of those notes, I found four questions I had answered for myself.

Reading those words felt a little like meeting an earlier version of myself.

Some of the dreams I had written about became reality.

Others changed shape along the way.

A few quietly disappeared because they no longer belonged to the life I was creating.

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What intrigued me the most was not how much my answers would differ since then. Rather, it was how naturally I wanted to answer the same four questions again.

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Looking Back

When I first read those notes, I thought I was simply reflecting on what made me happy.

Looking back now, I see something else.

The four questions gently shifted my attention toward several aspects of my life I could actually influence. Instead of trying to solve every uncertainty, they invited me to notice what gave me energy and what quietly drained it.

That small shift changed many of the decisions that followed.

I realized I was ready to work with clients from different countries, and some of my existing contracts were no longer supporting that direction. They were valuable projects, and I was grateful for them. They simply belonged to an earlier chapter of my professional life. Gradually, I let most of them go. The extra time and freedom allowed me to breath and explore new ideas that looked very small, yet carried much more possibility than I could see then.

I chose to move to a country I had never visited before because it resonated deeply with me in a way that I couldn't quite explain, giving me a sense of independence and courage. This inspired several projects that I started right after I had moved.

Some of my choices made no practical sense at all. For example, I started learning French again (it was my second big attempt!), not because I needed it for work or life, but because I genuinely love the language.

Today, I don't think these decisions were driven by logic alone.

They became possible by paying closer attention to what felt truly alive.

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Four Questions Worth Sitting With

I'd love to invite you to spend a few quiet minutes with these questions.

Even if you can't find the perfect answers, pay attention to what they awaken in you.

1. What brings you joy?
2. How could you intentionally create more of it in your life?
3. How might you bring more joy into the parts of life that don't feel joyful today?
4. What might change if joy became your priority now?

You may discover that some answers come easily.

Or you may find yourself sitting with the questions for a while.

Both are valuable.

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One Last Thought

I don't think these questions were really about joy.

They were about permission.

Permission to pay attention to what was quietly asking for more space in my life.

Three years later, I still think that's one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

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I'd Love to Hear From You

If you decide to reflect on even one of these questions, I'd love to hear what surprised you.

I read every reply, and many future Letters of Change begin with conversations like these.

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Until next time,

Elena