Reviving the Colors of Your Career

Have you ever thought that this job or career choice is not what you really really want? Somehow, along the way, the vibrancy of excitement muted, dulled, perhaps even vanished. If so, read on.

We spent a lot of time and energy getting to where we are now in our careers. And money. We searched, updated resumes, polished up cover letters, interviewed, networked, got promoted, etc. It’s what you wanted for quite some time. Or thought you wanted. And when you got to THE goal, THE job title, THE status, now what? Has there been a thought or two or 100 intruding along the way along the lines of:

• I’m here and yet I’m not fulfilled.

• I’ve invested so much and yet it’s not where I want to be.

• It’s too late for me to even consider something new.

• I’m too old.

• I can’t do something new.

• It’s too hard to do something new.

• I shouldn’t do something new.

• What would others say if I did something new?

• How dare I even consider a demotion?

• I feel guilt or shame even having these thoughts.

• Especially during these times, I should be happy and grateful that I have a job when so many have lost or will lose their jobs. How dare I want something different?

• This is all I know how to do.

• I have too many responsibilities to entertain these nonsensical thoughts.

• Changing will upset (fill in the blank).

• Changing will disappoint (fill in the blank).

You get the gist by now. A lot of thoughts. The ones keeping you up at night, perhaps. What you mull over during your commute to and from work. The existential dread felt heading into another day of work, knowing, truly knowing, even if not overtly expressed, that this is not the job, role, or career that is fulfilling or meaningful to you. At least not now. Maybe it was at one point. But not now.

At various points throughout my career, I’ve heard some of these thoughts in my own head, sometimes screaming, sometimes dull whispers, enough to distract and derail me. And I’ve seen the body language, the sarcasm, the cues exhibited by colleagues similarly thinking these same thoughts. The Sr Director of (fill in the blank) unsure if “this is it.” The VP in (fill in the blank) that cringes each time they say“let’s circle back…let’s reduce the swirl…OKR this and KPI that.”

Pay attention to the questions and statements that are racing through your beautiful, highly evolved brain…because they are here for a reason. No, you’re not being dramatic, or having a midlife crisis (what does this even mean, by the way, really truly mean???).

If you were to ask fear, anxiety, and judgement to step into the other room while you ponder on the following questions, what comes up?

• What do I really want to do?

• What am I good at? Truly?

• What excites me or inspires me?

• Which of my core values must be honored daily for me to feel fulfilled — and how would those values tangibly show up in the flow of my ideal workday?

• If I didn’t feel burnout, what would I be doing?

• If there were no barriers whatsoever, what bold move would I make next in my career?

• If money were no object, what would I choose to do simply because it brings me joy and purpose?

Lean in, be curious. What came up for you?

You don’t have to make a drastic career change in this moment. But perhaps, the wheels will start turning and give you a glimpse of possibilities rather than the usual cognitions keeping you stuck and the ones that lie to you stating that you can’t and you shouldn’t. What pictures, images, scenes came up as you reflected on the above questions? Envision, clearly, vividly, immersing yourself in the sensory experiences of the images that arise. What is starting to take shape?

What does the color palette of your job/career look like compared to the vibrant tones revealing themselves in this exercise? Where do you see room to paint something new?

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