The Sweet Spot | Vol. 1 · Issue 020 · November 2, 2026
THIS WEEK IN THE SWEET SPOT — A Blank Canvas Is the Beginning of Something Extraordinary
Sometimes the next chapter begins when we change the way we see what's possible.
🌿 The Sweet Spot · Vol. 1 · Issue 020 · November 2, 2026
Pivot With Purpose · Career Strategy · Macro Clarity · Myrtus
THIS WEEK IN THE SWEET SPOT
A Blank Canvas Can be the Beginning of Something Exciting
Last week, we talked about timing, patience and the quiet value of doing the work before the results appear. This week, I want to talk about something closely related: perspective.
More specifically, the growth mindset and what happens when life hands us a situation we didn't necessarily choose. I like to think of it as a blank canvas when you start something new - the blank canvas, to one person can represents endless possibilities but to another, it can feel intimidating. There is nothing on the canvas and it is left up to your imagination, no direction, no familiar structure and no guarantee that what comes next will turn out the way we hope. I love that it is the same canvas and the only difference is perspective.
I have been thinking about this as we watch the labor market change. Companies are restructuring, technology is changing the way work gets done and some very talented people are finding themselves unexpectedly looking for another opportunity while, others are choosing to leave. They may be accepting voluntary exit packages, reconsidering their careers or simply deciding that the next chapter should look different.
Whatever brought someone to this point, I don't think we should underestimate how difficult the transition can be. A job is more than a paycheck, it provides structure, relationships, confidence and often a sense of identity. Losing those things, even temporarily, can feel overwhelming but here is what I want you to consider:
· What if the next chapter doesn't need to resemble the last one?
· What if the experience you have spent years developing could be useful in an industry you have never considered?
· What if the opportunity isn't in the same company, the same city or even the same profession?
· And what if you gave yourself permission to explore before deciding exactly what comes next?
That is where a growth mindset becomes valuable. A growth mindset, a concept developed through the research of psychologist Carol Dweck, is rooted in the idea that our abilities and capabilities can develop through learning, effort, feedback and experience. It doesn't mean we can do anything simply because we believe we can. It means we don't have to treat our current circumstances or present capabilities as permanent boundaries. You simply have an opportunity to decide what you want to create with it.
THIS WEEK'S COMPASS
Look Ahead Without Putting a Deadline on Your Next Chapter
Here is my encouragement for this week: give yourself permission to be curious without immediately demanding an outcome. We are entering November and for those of us in the United States, Thanksgiving is approaching, followed by the December holidays. Hiring can become uneven during this period. Some organizations continue filling positions, while others slow decisions as budgets, vacations and year-end priorities compete for attention.
That doesn't mean you should stop looking if you need employment. Financial responsibilities are real, and sometimes finding the next job is the immediate priority but if you have the flexibility, consider using some of this period to explore. Read about an industry you know nothing about, attend an event, visit a museum or maybe talk to someone whose work interests you. You don't need to turn every conversation into an interview or every activity into a networking strategy. Sometimes curiosity is valuable simply because it changes the way we see the world.
Also, please, don't put an arbitrary deadline on reinventing yourself. You don't have to discover your life's purpose by Thanksgiving or have your entire 2027 career mapped out by New Year's Eve. Progress can mean seeing possibilities today that you didn't know existed yesterday.
SECTION 01
Perspective: The Opportunity May Be Somewhere You Aren't Looking
We have a tendency to view our careers through the industries and organizations we already know. If you have spent 15 years in banking, you may automatically look for another banking position. If you have built your career in technology, you may begin by searching other technology companies. There is nothing wrong with that. Experience is valuable, and staying within an industry may be the most practical decision but what if we changed the question?
"Where else would the capabilities I've developed be valuable?"
· Someone from banking may understand regulatory environments, operational risk, financial controls, clients and complex business processes. Those capabilities don't disappear when the person leaves a bank.
· A technology professional may understand systems integration, data governance, cybersecurity, infrastructure or project delivery.
· A human resources professional may bring valuable experience in workforce development, organizational change and training.
· A procurement specialist may understand negotiations, supplier qualification, contracts and the challenges of managing complicated vendor relationships.
Now imagine looking at an entirely different industry. A manufacturing company expanding production. An aerospace supplier qualifying new vendors. A mining company implementing automation. A defense contractor improving operational resilience. Suddenly, some of those familiar skills may have a new application. Of course, changing industries takes work. There may be technical requirements, certifications, security clearances or specialized experience to develop. Not every capability transfers directly but you may be much closer to a different opportunity than you realize.
What Growth Mindset Actually Looks Like
A growth mindset isn't repeating positive affirmations and hoping the labor market improves. It involves asking better questions and being willing to learn from what you discover.
· A fixed perspective might sound like: "I'm a banker. That's what I know."
· A growth-oriented perspective might sound like: "I've spent years understanding risk, regulation and financial systems. Where else could that experience be useful?"
· A fixed perspective might say: "I'm too far into my career to start something new."
· A growth-oriented perspective might ask: "What could I learn over the next six months that would make a different direction possible?"
Neither perspective changes the economy overnight but one keeps our attention on the boundaries of our current situation, while the other encourages us to investigate possibilities beyond them.
You don't have to know exactly where you're going to begin discovering where you might want to go.
SECTION 02
The Signal From Sturnella
The labor market is changing, but investment and opportunity are not moving uniformly.
This week's Sturnella Signals research illustrates something worth understanding: companies can be reducing headcount in one part of the economy while substantial capital is being directed toward expanding capacity in another. That doesn't mean there is a convenient new job waiting for every displaced employee. It does suggest that paying attention to where money is moving can help us identify industries, companies and capabilities worth exploring.
SIGNAL 01 · THE LABOR MARKET IS SPLITTING
The broader U.S. labor market is showing signs of slower growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2026 payroll employment increased by just 29,000 positions, while unemployment reached 4.2%. At the same time, major employers continue reviewing how they organize work. On October 26, Microsoft announced a new voluntary exit program for eligible employees in participating organizations across the United States, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. Approximately 60,000 employees are eligible for the offer. That is an extraordinary number of people being given the option to reconsider their careers. Importantly, those 60,000 people have not all been laid off. Eligibility for a voluntary exit package does not mean an employee has accepted it or that the position will necessarily disappear. Nevertheless, the announcement illustrates how dramatically organizations are reconsidering workforce structures as they invest in artificial intelligence and other priorities. There are people behind every one of these decisions.
Some may welcome the opportunity to leave with financial support. Others may face uncertainty about their professional future, finances or families. For anyone in that position, it is worth recognizing that a company's changing priorities do not erase the value of an individual's experience.
The lesson: Your former employer may no longer need your role in the same form. That doesn't mean another organization won't need the capabilities behind it.
SIGNAL 02 · FOLLOW WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING
While some companies are reducing or reorganizing employment, the U.S. defense industrial base is receiving significant investment. One resource I think more people should explore is the Department of War's Investment Intelligence Center.
The interactive investment map allows visitors to explore government-supported industrial projects, including investments in manufacturing, microelectronics, energy storage, critical minerals, workforce development and other capabilities. What makes this particularly interesting from a career perspective is the geographic information. You can investigate where projects are taking place and what companies are involved. You may discover a manufacturing investment in your state, a supplier expanding a facility near your city or a business working on technology you have never encountered before.
Consider what happens after a major investment is announced. Facilities may need to be designed, constructed or expanded. Equipment may need to be purchased. Suppliers need to be identified and qualified. Workers require training, and organizations need people who can manage budgets, projects, operations, compliance and security.
Those needs won't necessarily appear immediately as job openings. Some investments may never produce the employment originally anticipated. Others may create opportunities at suppliers and neighboring businesses rather than at the company directly receiving funding but understanding where investment is happening gives you another way to explore the economy.
SIGNAL 03 · PRODUCTION IS BECOMING A NETWORK
One of the most interesting developments from Sturnella Signals concerns the way defense production is evolving. On October 22, the Department of War and Lockheed Martin announced a 10-year framework covering at least 850 U.S. F-35 aircraft, along with parts, modification kits and sustainment arrangements. The framework, which remains subject to congressional authorization, appropriations and final contracting, also includes a commitment from Lockheed Martin to self-fund at least $7 billion in initiatives supporting the program.
Think about the industrial activity associated with a program of that scale. Not just building aircraft, but maintaining them, sourcing materials, managing suppliers, coordinating logistics, protecting technology and supporting a workforce across numerous organizations.
The Office of Strategic Capital is also supporting industrial expansion beyond traditional aerospace manufacturing. On October 26, it announced a $150 million conditional loan commitment to Stoke Space Technologies to support development of a second launchpad at Cape Canaveral. (Again, a conditional commitment is not the same as money already disbursed or a guarantee of future hiring.) But these announcements help illustrate the kinds of capabilities that government and private investors are seeking to develop.
The Sturnella lens: Don't interpret an investment announcement as a job guarantee. Treat it as an invitation to investigate where industrial capacity is growing, what skills will be needed and which organizations are participating.
A Different Way to Read the Headlines
If you have recently lost your job, accepted a buyout or started questioning what comes next, I encourage you to look beyond the announcements about which companies are cutting positions. Pay attention to the organizations receiving investment, read about what they are building, investigate the suppliers working alongside them and look for technical colleges, workforce programs, professional associations and local events connected to those industries. Learning where the economy is developing may introduce you to possibilities you wouldn't otherwise consider, and you might discover a company, you might discover a skill, you might discover an industry you find fascinating or you might simply gain a different perspective.
SECTION 03
The 5-Pomodoro Perspective Shift
Five 25-minute sessions to explore what might come next. Last week, we focused on compounding small habits. This week, we're going to put that idea into practice by exploring a new industry without requiring ourselves to make a major career decision.
Each Pomodoro lasts 25 minutes. Take a five-minute break between sessions, or spread them across the week. There is no requirement to complete everything in one day.
POMODORO 01 · CHOOSE AN INDUSTRY AND GET CURIOUS
Start by choosing one industry within the defense industrial base that interests you. It could be aerospace, advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding, mining and critical minerals, energy storage, robotics, cybersecurity or semiconductors. Visit the Defense Investment Intelligence Center and explore projects connected to that industry. See what is happening in your state or nearby communities. Write down the names of two companies, projects or technologies that capture your attention.
Don't worry about whether you qualify to work there, for now, your only assignment is to learn something new.
POMODORO 02 · FOLLOW THE PEOPLE
Pick one company or project from your research. Who works in this field? What professional associations support the industry? Are there local business events, conferences, university lectures or workforce-development programs connected to it? Explore LinkedIn, local chambers of commerce and industry associations. See whether you already know someone who works in the industry or knows someone who does.
You may discover that your existing network reaches further than you thought.
POMODORO 03 · DISCOVER WHAT YOU BRING
Take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. On one side, write down the capabilities you have developed throughout your career. On the other, write down how those capabilities could potentially apply to the industry you are exploring.
Don't limit yourself to your former job title. Think about the problems you have solved, people you have managed, decisions you have made and difficult situations you have navigated. Your experience may be more transferable than your résumé currently suggests.
POMODORO 04 · FIND ONE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
Choose something about your new industry that you don't understand. Maybe it's how defense contracts work, how autonomous equipment operates in a mine or what it takes to manufacture a semiconductor. Find an article, podcast, free lecture, library resource or introductory course that helps explain it. Take a few notes. You don't have to become an expert this week. You only have to know a little more than you knew before.
POMODORO 05 · MAKE ONE NEW CONNECTION
Find one person working in the industry you explored. It might be someone you already know, a local professional, an entrepreneur, an industry association member or someone you met at an event. Reach out with genuine curiosity. Maybe, ask how they entered the field, what they enjoy about the work or what they think people outside the industry misunderstand. A conversation doesn't need to produce a referral to be worthwhile.
At the end of these five Pomodoros, you may not have a new career direction, but you will have five small pieces of evidence that the world is bigger than your current circumstances.
SECTION 04
AI That Helps
Turn the Next Eight Weeks Into a Curiosity Scavenger Hunt
What if you treated the final eight weeks of the year as an opportunity to explore? Not an eight-week deadline to find your dream job but a scavenger hunt. Your city, state, public library, museums, professional organizations and local businesses are full of opportunities to discover something new and AI can help you organize those possibilities.
AI PROMPT · BUILD MY EIGHT-WEEK EXPLORATION CALENDAR
"I'm considering what my next career or personal chapter might look like. I live in [city, state], and I have [number] hours each week available to explore new interests.
Create an eight-week curiosity scavenger hunt from November 2 through December 31, 2026. Each week, suggest one free or low-cost activity that helps me discover something new about my community, an industry or myself. Include a mix of public library events, museum visits, professional networking events, industry lectures, community workshops, local businesses, volunteer opportunities and educational resources.
I'm especially interested in [insert interests or industries].
For every activity, explain what I might learn, suggest one person I could talk to or question I could ask, and provide links to places where I can verify actual event dates.
Take Thanksgiving and the December holidays into account. Don't invent events or treat this calendar as a deadline for finding employment."
AI PROMPT · HELP ME SEE MY EXPERIENCE DIFFERENTLY
"My professional background is [describe your experience]. I want to explore opportunities beyond the industry where I've spent most of my career.
Identify five industries where my existing capabilities could potentially transfer. For each industry, explain which skills are relevant, which new skills or credentials I might need, and what kinds of organizations I should investigate.
Include opportunities in the U.S. defense industrial base where appropriate. Don't assume I need to start over. Help me understand how my experience could be applied differently."
AI PROMPT · FIND THE INVESTMENT ACTIVITY AROUND ME
"I'm interested in learning where industrial investment is happening near [city, state].
Using the Department of War Investment Intelligence Center at https://www.businessdefense.gov/investments.html and other reliable sources, help me research recent projects in my state or region.
Identify companies, industries, project locations, and possible supplier or workforce-development connections. Distinguish confirmed investments from proposed or conditional commitments. Do not invent hiring announcements. Instead, explain what capabilities these projects may eventually require, and identify company websites or events where I can learn more." AI is useful for generating ideas, organizing information and helping us find connections we might otherwise overlook but there is an important distinction.
A calendar full of possibilities is only a starting point.
The real value comes from leaving the house, reading the article, having the conversation and experiencing something different. Use AI to help you find the door, then go see what's on the other side.
SECTION 05
Recharge
🍂 THE DARE: MEET SOMEONE WHO SEES THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY
This week's dare is simple. Go introduce yourself to someone new. Find someone who has recently made a career change or perhaps someone who has also experienced a layoff. Invite them for coffee, attend a community event or start a conversation at a professional gathering.
Ask them something interesting:
· "What surprised you most about changing careers?"
· "What did you discover you were good at that you hadn't recognized before?"
· "What would you tell someone who's just starting to explore something new?"
· Or simply: "What's something you're excited about right now?"
Then listen: you may find that someone else's experience challenges an assumption you've been carrying or realize that a career change doesn't always require going backward or discover that other people have experienced the same uncertainty you have and you might meet someone whose enthusiasm for their work reminds you that there are still plenty of interesting things happening in the world.
There is also something wonderful about speaking to a person who is a little further along in a journey you are considering. They don't need to be wildly successful or have everything figured out.
Sometimes six months of additional perspective is more useful than ten years of polished career advice.
The challenge isn't to meet someone who can give you an opportunity. It's to meet someone who might change the way you see one……………. remember, you can be that person for somebody else, too.
YOUR PRACTICE
One Small Assignment
01 · Change the question.
Instead of asking only where you can find another version of your previous job, ask where else your experience might be valuable.
02 · Follow one investment.
Visit the Defense Investment Intelligence Center and explore a company or project in your state.
03 · Learn something unfamiliar.
Choose one new industry or capability and spend 25 minutes understanding it.
04 · Build your scavenger hunt.
Use AI to find eight weeks of interesting opportunities to learn, explore and connect.
05 · Talk to someone new.
Find someone with a different background, a recent career transition or a perspective that challenges your assumptions.
06 · Give yourself permission to take time.
Not every career decision needs to be made immediately, and not every useful experience needs to lead directly to a job.
The Next Chapter Is Yours to Create
I keep coming back to the idea of the blank canvas. When we are comfortable in our careers, we tend to know what the next few steps are supposed to look like. We understand the organization, the industry and the possibilities in front of us.
Then something changes. Maybe we lose a job. Maybe our company restructures. Maybe technology changes the work we do. Or perhaps we simply wake up one morning and realize we want something different.
Suddenly, the familiar picture isn't there anymore and that can be frightening but it can also create room for imagination.
Think about everything you have experienced up to this point. The difficult projects, the mistakes, the lessons, the relationships, the skills and the unexpected situations you've worked through. None of that disappears because your circumstances change.
You bring it all with you.
· You may need to learn something new, build different relationships or rethink how you describe what you do.
· You may need to take a job that provides financial stability while exploring a longer-term direction.
· And you may need more time than you originally expected.
We are entering the final two months of 2026. For many people, the holidays will bring family gatherings, changing schedules and perhaps a slower pace. Why not use some of that time to dream a little? A growth mindset doesn't guarantee a perfect next chapter but it can help us recognize that the story is still being written.
Your canvas may be blank, but you aren't starting empty-handed.
You have experience, knowledge, perspective and the ability to keep learning and maybe the most exciting part is that the next chapter doesn't have to look anything like the last one.
🌿 THE SWEET SPOT
Read the signal. Find your position. Move with purpose.
Myrtus
Career insights for people who want to pivot with purpose.
This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, accounting or cybersecurity advice. Market information is time-sensitive and may change after publication.