The Friends Theory #15: The One Where We Have Good Problems

My wallet’s too small for my fifties.

Welcome to The Friends Theorywhere we take sitcom moments and figure out why they're basically therapy sessions in disguise. This week, we’re talking about “good problems,” diamond shoes, and why your spiral might actually be a sign of progress.

3-minute read. Bring a wad of fifties.

Know someone who needs to embrace their diamond shoes?
Forward this their way. ↗️

The One Where We Have Good Problems

Insights from The One with the List(Season 2 Episode 8)

🎬 Picture it:
Ross is having a meltdown.
Two women love him. He doesn’t know what to do.
So naturally, Chandler delivers emotional support the only way he knows how:

“Oh no! Two women love me. My wallet’s too small for my fifties and my diamond shoes are too tight!”

Look. Ross is genuinely torn. (Though let’s agree: making a pros-and-cons list about actual humans is… not the move. More on that in a future edition.)

Still—Chandler isn’t wrong.

This isn’t a crisis.
This is a good problem.

Here’s the thing Chandler gets that Ross doesn’t:

Not all stress is a signal that something’s broken. Sometimes, stress is just the growing pains of expansion.

Ross is having a meltdown, not because life is falling apart—but because it’s falling together.
He has options. He’s wanted. His world just got bigger.
And instead of celebrating that, he treats it like a disaster.

Sound familiar?

Ever Been Here?

Maybe it’s not two people fighting over your love (if it is—congrats and please write a memoir).

But I’ll bet you’ve felt this:

  • You get two job offers and panic about choosing “wrong.”

  • You’re swamped… by the very opportunities you created for yourself.

  • You say yes to something exciting—then have a meltdown because now it’s real.

  • You stress over what to wear to the meeting you were dying to get.

  • You feel anxious, not because life is hard, but because it’s good… and you’re waiting for the catch.

We’re so used to thinking stress = something’s gone wrong.

But sometimes, stress is just what happens when life expands faster than your nervous system can process.

It’s not a sign to pull back. It’s a sign you’re stepping into more.

Try This On - The Good Problem Reframe

So here’s your one takeaway this week:

What you’re calling a problem might just be proof that your life is expanding.

Case in point: me.
Launch the course. Sign the clients. Pack. Move house. Be a wife, mother, and functioning human who remembers where she put her keys.

I’ve been running myself in circles—treating progress like a problem. Stressing about the exact things I said I wanted. The exact things I worked for.

But then I realised:

I don’t have problems. I have priorities.

And instead of picking a system to help me tackle them, I was too busy catastrophising about whether my diamond shoes were too tight.

Final Thought- You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Wallet

This might feel like chaos. That’s fine.

Just don’t mistake chaos for a problem.

The spinning, the stretching, the second-guessing—sometimes that’s just what growth looks like up close. It’s what happens when your world starts expanding to meet your ambition.

So don’t shrink to make it easier.
Don’t apologise for being overwhelmed by the exact things you asked for.

Pause. Breathe. Ask yourself:

 “Am I stressing about my diamond shoes being too tight?”

And maybe—just maybe—celebrate having feet fancy enough for diamonds in the first place.

Your “problem”? It’s a feature, not a bug.
You’ve earned those diamond shoes. Just try not to trip over your own greatness.

More sitcom therapy next Tuesday,
Lucy xx

P.S. If you're ready for your new shoes but not sure what fits, start here👇

NOTES TO (YOUR)SELF

Because the best things happen on the other side of discomfort:

🧠 Reframe:
Not all overwhelm is bad. Sometimes it’s just success arriving faster than your nervous system can process.

💭 This Week’s Challenge:
Name one thing that’s been stressing you out. Now reframe it as a “good problem.” What’s the progress underneath it?

📚 Worth Reading:
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks → on why we sabotage success, and how to stop upper-limiting.

🛠 Brain full, story unclear?
I offer 1:1 clarity sessions to help high-functioning humans like you sort the swirl and move forward with confidence.
Book a free 15-min call and let’s figure out what fits.
Diamond shoes optional.

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