Reset Without Chaos: Staying Steady Through Uncertainty

Shock news dropped: our long-running client plans to end the contract, pointing to lower-cost markets and AI. That kind of change can jolt anyone into survival mode. Instead of pushing panic decisions, we walk through a steadier path—how to think clearly under pressure, protect your structure, and keep momentum when the next step isn’t obvious. This is a real story about uncertainty at work and the practical habits that turn disruption into direction.

We start by dismantling the myth that successful people are immune to instability. Then we get practical: why urgent feelings don’t equal smart choices, how isolation magnifies fear, and where people go wrong when they change everything at once. I share the exact moves I’m making—waking early, keeping routine non-negotiable, testing small ideas in my community and projects—so I can gather information fast without betting the house. It’s a framework for anyone facing layoffs, shifting clients, or big life pivots: stabilize your basics, run low-risk experiments, and let clarity arrive as your nervous system settles.

Reframing is the final gear. A contract ending is not a punishment or a life sentence; it’s an event on the path. You don’t need a perfect plan to move forward—just presence, consistency, and the courage to iterate. If you’re navigating uncertainty, this conversation offers a calm blueprint for staying grounded while you adapt.

If this resonates, subscribe for more honest, practical strategies, and share it with someone wrestling with career change or uncertainty. Tell me: what small experiment will you run this week?

Chapters

• 0:00 Success Myths And Reality
• 2:07 Contract Termination News
• 4:17 First Reaction And Options Ahead
• 6:11 Fighting Impulses With Reason
• 8:13 Tests, Side Projects, And Routine
• 9:56 What To Avoid Under Stress
• 12:05 Don’t Isolate Or Change Everything
• 14:12 What To Do Instead
• 17:03 Reframe Disruption As Transition
• 19:39 Key Takeaways And Listener Prompt

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

As you know, guys, I like to share my real stories and what really happens to me. And I do this for different reasons. But the main one, the main reason, is really important is that you need to understand that people who achieve financial freedom, uh, make podcasts to achieve success, achieve any type of goal, or even those who are famous, you know, and seem to belong to a different world, are not special. We are not special. Okay. Sure, some may have reached their status because of wealthy or well-known parent, okay, or perhaps poorly by luck. But trust me, the percentage of these cases, the percentage of people who reach their success, you know, by luck or by because they're they were already wealthy or whatever, is not as high as you might think. Okay, the majority of people who succeed work really hard, work hard to sharpen their talents. Or in some cases, they may not have had any talent at all initially, but they work hard to develop one, okay? So, what you may not know about these individuals is that they went through a lot to get where they are. If you persist as much as they did, you too can achieve anything you know you aspire to have in your life. But during this journey of persistence, a lot happens. A lot. So the real difference between people who achieve their goals and those who don't lies basically in how strongly they stand up after setbacks and how quickly they take action when challenges arise. Hi guys, my name is Fabio from Journey to Success and Welcome. Today I'm going to talk about how a month ago I was informed that my contract would be terminated. So I share now uh how I reacted to this news, alright, and what you can do in similar situations. But before we go forward, as always, please subscribe. Alright, so I know this is the right direction to lead you guys, to drive you, to guide you towards your journey to success. And let's get started, alright? As always. So, one month ago, our operational manager sent an important email saying that he needed to talk with us. And for us, I mean the group in the Netherlands, alright? The one uh who leads, who deals with an influential client, a client we have worked with for more than three years now, okay? So to summarize, my main contract is with this multi-billion dollar multinational corporation. And this company has several big, well-known clients, okay? And our client, the client we were dealing with for over three years, was one of them, was uh inside this big corporation, okay? The corporation who basically gives me the contract and the salary. So unfortunately, this client wants to terminate their contract with our company. So the the the reason is because they wish to focus more on countries with lower salaries. Okay, so from from what I hear actually externally, that's not the only reason. The reason is because they also want to optimize their process using AI, which is the direction most companies are aiming right now for these days. Anyway, my reaction was calm, all right? Because I expect something like this for people who work in tech or use laptops, you know, like in my case for customer care, this change will likely become the norm soon because of the AI. So, of course, I was uh not upset, but I was uneasy, you know, when I received the news, since it's normal, it pushed me out of my comfort zone, you know. But I know that I have no control over it. I know I did not do anything to cause that, of course, and frankly, there is nothing I can do. Okay, so we are currently waiting for an answer. The definitive answer from uh my company, my main company, as this could lead to either the proper termination of my company's contract, resulting in uh financial exit for me, or to my being assigned to another project, you know, inside this company. So I don't have that that information yet, but I'll keep you updated in my next episode. Anyway, in uh response to the news, I made some impulsive decisions about my future, which is a very human reaction. This often happens to all of us, you know, when we receive uh unexpected news and uh we we enter a mode of action as our brains try to find quick solutions, okay. I've learned that already. It already happened to me in the past, so I've learned that acting impulsively can lead to negative outcomes, of course. So the difference this time is that I recognize this tendency. So even if even after this news I was in a rush towards some decision, even if I understand that my choices based on this news could result in uh unfavorable, um unfavorable situations, guys, I also know that I need to be more careful, whatever I do. So even if I have courageous ideas right now, because I want to move forward, you know, I evaluate them, I evaluate these ideas in my mind numerous times before making any decision. So for me right now, I think actually you know what I you know what I mean, but but right now it feels like a continuous battle between the choice I want to make based on my feelings, shaped by the fact that my contract will be terminated, and my rational considerations. For example, right now I'm trying to leverage my soup stack faster and figuring out what my next step should be. I'm also making small idea investment as a test to better understand my path forward with my overall project, you know, and and and so on. So basically, I'm on guys, uh, totally on. Fortunately, before this news, I had decided to wake up early around 5.30, so my routine was already becoming steadier regardless of the news, you know. So generally, what are the things to avoid and to do if you encounter situations like this, like mine? And what should you do? You might find yourself in my position, or even in a situation that's not job-related, you know. Anytime you're out of your comfort zone too quickly, guys, making a sudden interruption in what is a constant in your life, it can lead to impulsive decisions that put you in unpleasant situations, okay? So it's always good to know how to approach these circumstances. That's what we're going to do in the second part of this episode. So when you face a situation like this, okay, the first thing to avoid is making big, irreversible decisions while your emotions are still high. This is crucial. When something unexpected happens, guys, you know, like a contract ending, like in my case, a sudden change, bad news, uh, your brain doesn't analyze the situation calmly, of course, it switches into survival mode. And in survival mode, your mind is not asking something like what is the best long-term decision, you know, it's asking how do I stop this discomfort right now. That's why the need for certainty becomes urgent. That's why the need, you know, to feel in control becomes overwhelming. And this is where most people make mistakes. These types of mistakes are driven by actions that lack clarity, guys, because everything is not clear anymore. Something becomes foggy, you know? It becomes foggy because they are guided by emotion. In the moment, urgency feels intelligence, feels strong. But but the the the point is that urgency is also emotional, it's especially emotional. What you have to aim in this case is clarity, and clarity takes time, okay? Clarity only arrives when your nervous system calms down enough to see the full picture that you don't have yet, that probably I don't have either. Because we're human, you know. And when fear stops shooting, of course, reason can finally speak. Once reason can finally speak, then probably everything is gonna be clearer for me as well. The second thing to avoid is isolating yourself with your thoughts. This is one of the most common and dangerous reactions when uh uncertainty hits, guys. When you keep everything in your head, your thoughts, of course, don't stay neutral. They they start looping, you know, they start exaggerating, they start turning possibilities into certainties. And in isolation, your mind doesn't ask balanced questions, guys. It jumps to conclusion. That's why it is so important to talk to someone you trust, not to vent, you know, endlessly or to play the victim, the victim, but to create perspective of, of course. A calm conversation can do something your mind alone cannot, okay? It puts boundaries around fear, it brings proportion back to the situation, and uh it reminds you of things you have forgotten about yourself. Most of the time, of course, you don't need advice. You you are not aiming to talk with someone to get advice. You need reflection, someone who listens and says, you know what, you're not crazy, you know. And someone who says to you, this makes sense. Someone that says to you, you have handled wars before. Okay, that's enough. That's enough talk to shift your internal state. That's what you need. That's what I need at the same time. Most bad decisions, guys, don't happen because people are careless, okay? They happen because people feel alone with their fear. And silence, unfortunately, in these cases, gives fear too much power. So that's the reason why it is really important to talk with someone. The third thing to avoid is changing everything at once. This is a very natural reaction when one part of your life suddenly becomes, you know, unstable. And I did that one a time ago, I think, I think it was maybe five or six years ago, maybe more. I it's something very, very sad happened and I changed everything. Because your brain starts thinking, if this isn't working, maybe nothing is. In my case, it was more like, well, maybe I have to change everything to make everything work better, you know. So people don't just change the situation they're facing, they change their job, their routine, their goals, their identity, sometimes even the people around them. But losing one constant doesn't mean you should remove all the others. You know, can you imagine? Your routine, your habits, the way you see yourself. These are not the problem. Actually, it's the opposite. They are your pillars, they are your cost constant, you know. So when you remove them, if you remove them, you don't create freedom, you create chaos. It is a disaster. And cows feel exciting at first, you know, because there is all the adrenaline that everything is gonna be new, and oh it looks like all positive, but uh it's just a mirage, guys. It quickly turns into confusion and fatigue. And this fatigue comes very, very quickly, okay. Transition works best when it happens on a stable foundation, right? So if you have your routine, your habits, the transition works better, right? If everything is moving at the same time, you lose your reference point. That's of course it's not the solution. That's why control is strength in moments like this. Now, what should you do instead? First, you don't need to decide your entire future in a week, you know. You don't need a perfect plan right now, but you do need to keep moving, that's for sure. As as I'm I'm doing my case, you know. Movement doesn't mean big dramatic action, guys. But it means consistency, still cons still consistency, still momentum, you know. Maybe slow timeline for a slow momentum, but still momentum. So keep working, keep learning, keep building small things that move you forward. And the the small actions are gonna protect you from uh paralysis and from panic at the same time, you know. Second, protect your structure, guys. When uh uncertainty shows up, structure becomes not negotiable. And for structure, I mean a simple structure, like uh sleep well. So don't change these things, all right? It's not that someone says to you that you are fired, then then you change the the basics that made you are who you are, you know. So the sleep, the routine, the movement, the discipline, these are not optional habits, guys. These are anchors, okay? Structure keeps you well steady, in control, and keeps your nervous system regulated. It gives your mind a sense of safety, and safety is what allows you to think clearly instead of emotionally, okay? Without structure, guys, every decision feels heavier than it actually is. That's the reality. Third, break big decisions into smaller experiments. Instead of betting everything on one move, test. Instead of committing fully, explore. Instead of guessing, collect information, okay? Small low risk experiments, reduce pressure and increase clarity. At least this is my experience right now. This is exactly what I'm doing now. I'm trying to understand how to leverage my projects faster, you know, with with my community in Soupstack and my podcast, but without desperation, you know. I'm testing ideas instead of attaching my identity to them, instead to rely totally on them. I'm observing what works, adjusting what doesn't, and staying calm while doing it. Progress, guys, doesn't require certainty, okay? It requires presence and consistency. Again, it's always about consistency. That's how you move forward without losing yourself. And finally, reframe the situation. This part is not about pretending everything is fine. Of course, it's not fine if someone virtues you, you know. But it's about choosing a perspective that helps you move forward instead of breaking you down, breaking your habits, for example, you know. This is not a punishment, also, this is not failure, it's an event, okay? It's one event, and one event does not erase years of effort, years of experience, years of growth. This is not the end, it's a pause, a shift, a redirection, a transition. Okay, transitions are uncomfortable, guys. We know that because they sit between what you know and what you don't yet understand, what you don't know, okay? There is no map, no certainty, it's just movement and adjustment towards something that you don't know yet. But we need to move forward, we need to accept that. Like we cannot go back, you know. We cannot rely in uh in the past to be comfortable, we need to be uncomfortable again to build a new structure, not the basic structure, the basic structure is still there, you know, the routine, the sleep, etc. etc. But we need to build a new structure to move forward and being again in our proper comfort zone, you know. And uh so yeah, we need to move forward and we need to accept that. And uh almost everyone you admire has been there, honestly. Most people who succeed did not move in a straight line, guys. They were interrupted, they were forced to adapt, they had moments where the ground moved under their feet, you know. The real difference is not that they avoided discomfort, it's that they learned how to move inside it. So they didn't self-destruct, they didn't panic. Who knows, maybe they did, but. That eventually they went through, you know. But surely they didn't turn temporary instability into permanent damage. So if you ever find yourself in a situation like mine, remember this guys don't rush decisions just to escape the feeling, don't disappear and shut down your momentum, and don't dramatize a moment that has not finished revealing its meaning yet, okay? Instead, stabilize your basics, test your ideas without pressure, as I'm doing right now, and move forward with intention, no fear. Disruption, guys, doesn't have to break you. So if you if you try to handle correctly, it becomes a great direction, even if it is a direction towards the unknown, you know. So before we wrap up, I want to slow things down for a moment and really highlight what we did today, okay? As always. Because this episode is not just about my contract, it's not about my job, it's not about Oli. It's not about the fact that someone uh is gonna fire me or it's gonna move me to another project. I don't know what they want to do with me. But let's say it's not about a single event in my life, it's about something much deeper, guys. Today, what we really did was remove a myth. The meat that successful people live in a different world. The myth that people who reach financial freedom build businesses, you know, create something meaningful, you know, for in their life, don't face instability, fear, or uncertainty. They do. Of course they do. Exactly like you, like me, like everyone else. The difference is not that bad things don't happen to them. The difference is how they respond, guys. So today we talked about moments when life interrupts you. And moments when life interrupts myself in this case, when something that felt stable suddenly isn't anymore. When you are pushed out of your comfort zone without asking for it. And we broke that moment down into something understandable, something manageable. We talk about what to avoid, of course. Avoid making big decisions when emotions are like, avoid isolating yourself inside your own head, and avoid changing everything at once. And then we talk about what to do instead. What you need to do. Just breathe in and breathe out. Stay calm during any decisions you're gonna make, but keep the momentum, okay? Protect your structure, protect your structure, the basic structure, you know, when uncertainty shows up, your routine, your habits, everything. And number three, turn big decisions into small experiments. And most importantly, guys, we reframe the situation, of course. We're not talking about a punishment, we're not talking about a failure. There is not as much as I like to talk about how failure can teach you a lesson, right? We're not talking about failure in this case, we're talking about a transition, okay, a phase, a passage between what was and what is next. So if there is one thing I want you to really take with you after listening to this episode, is this you don't need to have uh everything figured out to move forward, first of all, and you just need to stay present, grounded, and uh consistent. Okay, life will test you guys. Life will test you, it will you know, interrupt you, it will force you to adapt. Like in my case, in the case of millions of people in the world right now, including you, but it doesn't do this to break you. Handle correctly. And I I I promise you that these are moments that are gonna build on you clarity, resilience, and direction. Okay, so if you are listening to these episodes and uh you are in a similar situation right now, job related or not, you know, know that you are not alone and you are not behind, okay? You are in the in the middle of something meaningful, and uh even if it doesn't feel like it yet, okay. Now, as always, I want to hear from you. Have you ever faced a sudden interruption in your life that forced you out of your comfort zone? And how did you react in that moment and what did it teach you? Send me a message as always. Share your story, connect with me on Soupstack. I genuinely read and value your experiences, and I I I would love to hear yours. And if you enjoy uh you know today's episode, that was guys, you know how how important it is to subscribe so you never miss an update. But even more important, consider sharing this episode with someone who might be going through uncertainty right now, and it's a reminder that disruption doesn't mean failure. Okay, thank you so much for being here on journey to success. And remember, we're not chasing perfection, we're building life, resilience, and direction. One intentional step at a time. I'll see you in the next episode, guys. Cheers.