When Work Doesn’t Feel Like Me Anymore

People don’t usually wake up one day and think, “I need a new career.” They think: “This doesn’t feel like me anymore.” Or “I’ve changed and what I wanted 10 years ago isn’t the same as what I want now.”

There comes a moment in many careers when nothing significant happened at work or there isn’t anything technically wrong, it just doesn’t fit anymore. It’s okay to admit that it isn’t the work that’s changed, maybe it’s you.

It’s kind of crazy that there’s an expectation for us to decide when we’re in our early 20’s, what we should do with the rest of our lives. And yet, society has that expectation. Finish school, get a job, go to work. Who we were when we were young isn’t the same as when we’re 40, 50, or even 60.

Couple that with how life transitions as we get older – kids leave home, aging parents rely on us more, becoming a grandparent, trying to navigate impending retirement down the road…it builds up. Those factors alone can create stress and the consideration that “maybe this isn’t what I want to do for my remaining work years” feels too daunting to do anything about it.

Been there…done that!

After decades of working in financial services it happened to me. I was traveling for work 15-20 days a month, my husband and I were new empty nesters, and my mother just received a terminal diagnosis. Life changed dramatically for me, seemingly overnight. For years I wanted to break away and start my own company but I kept putting it off - waiting for the proverbial “right time.” My mother’s diagnosis reminded me that I was NOT getting any younger. If I was going to do it, I needed to lean into the fear of failing, come up with a solid plan, and do it.

My career didn’t need to be fixed; it had to be adjusted to the person I’d become. Was it scary? Absolutely. Was it possible? Yes! And I haven’t looked back.

If this is you, I’d love to hear from you.