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!

Over the years, I've had the privilege of working with people from many different professions.

Engineers.

Marketing executives.

Leaders in the banking industry.

IT specialists.

Professionals in global health.

Even psychoanalysts.

On the surface, their careers looked very different.

But when they started talking about change, I noticed something unexpected and quite similar.

I thought I would hear fear.

Instead, I heard things like:

"I've invested too much to walk away now."

"People depend on me."

"I've become known for this."

"Maybe I should just try harder."

"What if I regret leaving?"

Very few of them questioned whether they were capable of change.

Most questioned whether they were allowed to want something different.

---

Commitment Has a Quiet Shadow

The longer we stay somewhere, the more reasons we find to continue staying.

Not all of those reasons are wrong.

Many of them are thoughtful and responsible.

• We've invested years building expertise.
• Our work supports our families.
• We've earned a reputation we're proud of.
• We've become the person others rely on.

None of these things should be dismissed lightly.

The difficulty is that these reasons rarely become smaller over time.

They usually become stronger.

Without noticing it, commitment can quietly shift from something that supports our life to something that keeps us from changing it for the better.

That doesn't mean we should leave every time work becomes difficult.

Far from it.

But it does mean that, from time to time, it's worth asking ourselves a different question.

Am I staying because this work still feels meaningful?

Or because I've become deeply committed to the person I've been for so many years?

Those aren't the same thing.

---

A Different Kind of Progress

One lesson I've learned from both coaching and my own career transitions is that meaningful change rarely begins with a perfect plan.

It often begins much earlier.

With the willingness to admit that something inside us has already changed.

Long before we know what comes next.

That moment can feel uncomfortable.

It can also become the beginning of a much more honest relationship with ourselves.

---

This Week's Featured Reading

This week, I published a new long-form essay:

​Why Smart People Stay Too Long in the Wrong Career​

In it, I explore seven psychological patterns I've seen repeatedly through decades of coaching practice and my own experience.

If today's Letter resonated with you, I think you'll enjoy reading it.

→ Read the article​

---

I'd Love to Hear From You

One of my favorite parts of writing Letters of Change is hearing your reflections.

So this week, I'd like to leave you with a simple question.

Which is harder for you right now: starting something new, or letting go of something that once mattered?

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

---

Until next time,

Elena