🌑 Unseen Forces: Lessons from the Solar Eclipse

This Sunday, a solar eclipse will sweep across the South Pacific, with visibility in New Zealand and Antarctica.

Most of us won’t see it.

But it will still happen.

That’s the lesson: some of the most powerful forces in the world — and in our careers — unfold quietly, behind the scenes, whether or not we witness them.

Wonder in the Shadows

During an eclipse, the moon slides directly between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow across the Earth. For those in the path, day turns into night. The sky darkens, stars appear, and the world pauses.

But if you’re outside the path? The sun keeps shining. Life looks unchanged.

That’s why eclipses are such a powerful metaphor. Reality doesn’t depend on visibility. And often, the most important shifts in our careers happen where we can’t see them.

The Invisible Dynamics of Work

Careers are shaped by unseen forces all the time:

• Promotions. You may feel overlooked, unaware that leaders are already discussing your readiness. They may want you to spend one more cycle in your role before moving you up.

• Compensation. You may think a raise is overdue. Meanwhile, executives might be weighing layoffs or restructuring because of market forces half a world away.

• Strategy. You may be asked to prepare work that feels random or disconnected. In reality, it may be part of a larger plan unfolding at a level you’re not privy to.

The fact that you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

The Frustration of Not Knowing

This is the hard part. It’s frustrating to feel like nothing is moving.

I’ve been there. I’ve sat in roles where silence felt like neglect. I wondered if my work mattered, if anyone noticed, or if I was stuck in place.

Later, I learned the truth: conversations had been happening about me, opportunities were being lined up, and my projects were tied to strategies I couldn’t see. From my vantage point, it looked like nothing. From the inside, it was anything but.

Lessons From Experience

Working inside large organizations taught me a humbling lesson: some of the most important career conversations happen in rooms you’ll never be in.

Your name might be written on a whiteboard in a meeting you’ll never attend. A delay in your promotion may have nothing to do with your value — and everything to do with a budget cycle, a failed product, or global events outside your control.

What feels like silence is often alignment. What feels like stagnation is sometimes preparation.

What You Can Do

You can’t control the unseen. But you can control your response:

• Build your foundation. Keep developing skills and documenting your wins.

• Maintain perspective. Don’t assume silence equals stagnation.

• Stay ready. Because when the spotlight shifts, it’s too late to start preparing.

Final Thought

The solar eclipse this weekend is extraordinary, even if only a few corners of the world will witness it.

The same is true for careers. Extraordinary shifts are happening even when they’re invisible.

Don’t confuse invisibility with irrelevance. Some of the most important moves shaping your future are already in motion — you just can’t see them yet.

Stay ready. Keep building. Trust the unseen.

Because when your moment finally does come into view, you’ll want to be prepared to step into the light.

— Shawn

👉 Share this newsletter with a colleague who feels “stuck.” They may need the reminder that unseen forces are at work.
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