Read time: 3.5 minutes
Hello brilliant human!
Happy Sunday.
The worst part about being in a career that makes you unhappy is feeling deeply incompetent.
I remember this feeling so vividly - it was like I didn't recognise myself anymore.
Decisions I used to make easily → I second guessed and doubted
Meetings that I would lead/speak up in → I shut down
Work that used to feel easy → made me overwhelmed
Stressful situations I used to navigate easily → little emotional resilience.
And it didn't just affect how I saw my competence.
It affected how I looked after myself (I didn't)...
How I showed up outside of work (I stopped doing things I loved because I had no energy)
And my ambition (because I was gaslighting myself into thinking...well am I even good at my job?!)
I shared this story on tiktok the other day and it went viral. SO many people related to the message and honestly... I hated it because work doesn't have to be that way.
You aren't incompetent. You are just in a job that no longer fits you. Maybe you are bored, maybe you have horrendous bosses/peers, maybe you are doing work that isnt aligned to your strengths.
Maybe it's all the above.
The truth? You are not broken.
You are not “bad at your job.”
You’ve just outgrown the container you’re in.
And when that happens, it’s not about hustling harder or proving yourself more. (Been there, tried that, got multiple t-shirts)
It’s about building the courage to step into a career that actually reflects who you are now — not who you were five years ago.
Because the longer you stay in a role that drains you, the more you start to believe a story about yourself that simply isn’t true. And that’s not just a career risk - it’s an identity risk.
So here’s the invitation: stop gaslighting yourself. Start paying attention to the evidence of your brilliance. And take the next small step toward a career that feels energising, not eroding.
You don’t need to fix yourself.
You just need to move yourself.
3....2....1....move
3 → Micro Truths 🧠
i) Feeling incompetent doesn’t mean you are incompetent. It usually means you’re in the wrong environment.
ii) Work isn’t meant to drain the life out of you. Exhaustion is not proof of ambition.
iii) Confidence comes back the moment you start making moves that align with your values, motivators and drivers
2 → Questions 🤔
i) If you weren’t doubting yourself - what would you want to be going after right now?
ii) Where in your life do I still feel most like you — and what does that tell you about what you need more of at work?
1 → Brave Move Forward 💪🏽
Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding whether it’s with your boss, a mentor, or yourself in the mirror. Say out loud what you already know: this job doesn’t fit anymore. That single moment of honesty is the first step toward change.
Have a great week ahead.
Yas x
PPS: Three new clients have joined UNTAPPED in the past three weeks. I am only taking on one more before Christmas. If you want to start 2026 feeling WILDLY different about your career...now is the time to choose yourself. Reply "2026" to this email and we can chat.
