Why Running From Chaos Keeps You Stuck in It
Escape decisions feel safer until they circle back as harder versions of the same lesson.
Years ago, I had someone on my team who was brilliant.
Young.
Sharp.
Fast mind.
But inexperienced.
The team was in chaos back then.
I had just stepped in.
I was rebuilding the structure brick by brick.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was progress.
But she didn’t see that progress.
She only saw the chaos.
And she wanted out. Immediately.
She got a new job fast.
More money.
A nicer title.
And, as she proudly told me, “way more stability.”
I told her she was making a mistake.
Not because I needed her. I could replace her in 2 weeks.
I just saw the pattern.
She wasn’t choosing what she wanted.
She was running from what she didn’t.
It’s human nature. You want the escape from the current pain, but when you think about what you actually want, you get stuck.
Twelve months later, she walked back into my office.
Same look I’ve seen so many times:
“I thought it would be different, you were right.”
Her new job?
Even worse chaos.
More politics.
More pressure.
Less growth.
More work, even in the weekend.
Running didn’t save her.
It repeated her reality.
Just in a different building.
So I took her back.
Because she was smart.
And because she was ready to learn the lesson she avoided the first time.
We rebuilt her together.
Slow. Intentional.
One decision at a time.
And here’s the truth she finally understood.
People who choose from fear repeat patterns.
People who choose from clarity create direction.
When you decide from escape, you move in circles.
When you decide from want, you move forward.
So before you make your next decision, ask one question:
“Am I chasing what I want, or am I just running from discomfort?”
Only one of those paths leads to growth.
The other leads you right back to where you started.
That’s how you have a GUT time choosing with direction, not escape.
Yana
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