I’ve reached a stalemate. I’ve spent enough time in my chosen job to know that I’m as good as I’ll ever be. Without working a tonne more hours, I also make as much money as I’m likely to make (give or take). I still like it, and I’m not looking for something radically different. I suppose I might go “off the beaten path” and see what it’s like.
However, this makes me uneasy.
Do you have any suggestions?
I completely understand your point of view.
Remember that it is the reasons why you do what you do for a living that should make you happy, not what you do for a livelihood. Is the art consistent with your own personal narrative? Is it in line with what you truly believe is your responsibility?
We feel fulfilled, energized, and, in general, we make more money when what we do aligns with why we do it. You’ll know you’ve hit the jackpot when your work speaks to your heart and soul.
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You might want to think about the following questions: What do you hope to get out of life? What do you hope to achieve in your life?
What are your ambitions for the future? What exactly are you looking for?
Take the last one, turn it into a first-person question, and repeat it four times, shifting the emphasis each time. So, what exactly am I looking for? What exactly am I looking for? What am I looking for? What am I looking for?
With each question, jot down what comes to mind. Your responses may astound you. You’ve been in your field for a long time and have enjoyed a lot of success. Being great is, in reality, the adversary of being good. Are you genuinely stuck on something? Is your field still big enough to fit you in?
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You might find that you’re starting to grow out of it—or that you’ve already outgrown it totally.
The question then becomes: Do you value security over adventure or possibility? I’m not suggesting you go on a wild adventure and disappear into the Himalayas. However, I believe that something other than what you’re doing now is your best bet.
You claim that leaving your comfort zone makes you nervous. You don’t want to have to start all over again. However, you’ve begun over many times in your life, perhaps without realizing it or considering it that way. We’ve all done it.
I prefer to use middle school as an example. You were the new kid in sixth grade, timid and unsure of yourself. You were the oldest and most experienced student in the school by the eighth grade.
When you went to high school, you had to start all over again. You were a first-year student.
You were the lowest of the low again, no matter how well connected, popular, or cool you were in middle school. You built, learned, and grew as a result of your efforts. You controlled the halls by the time you were a senior. You had friends, relationships, and social standing.
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Then you graduated, possibly went to college, and began the process all over again.
When seen in this light, life can be viewed as a series of incremental steps. That could be exactly what you require at this time. You simply need to think of it as the start of a new school year. You’ll be the big man or woman on campus again in no time.
Check your tolerance for risk, especially if you’re about to embark on a new endeavor. Perhaps a side hustle would be a good way to get your feet wet in the world of entrepreneurship. That side hustle could be something you enjoy doing or something you used to do but stopped doing in order to have a “real job.”
Perhaps you should consider something more substantial than a side hustle. You’ll need someone to bring an outside perspective, a view you can’t perceive, to do this. We all have a blindside, if not several. Even the world’s most successful people have their blind spots. Your next moves may be yours right now.
You may need to seek assistance in determining your future steps. This can sometimes come from a mentor. It can also come from a coach. A coach would be preferable in this situation since a mentor might be overly warm and loving. It’s possible that they’re too close to you to tell you the truth.
That isn’t something a coach will have to deal with.
A coach will be able to look at your talents, skills, personality, and what you were truly built for from a new perspective. He or she will either assist you in figuring out how to take those talents and skills to the next level—or how to break free from what you’re doing and use them to become a giant in a different realm.