Something nobody warns you about when you start waking up: you might outgrow the career you worked so hard to build.
I’m in the middle of this uncomfortable reality right now. I spent years pursuing a graduate degree, earning certifications, and putting in countless hours to establish myself professionally. I did everything “right” according to society’s playbook.
And now? I find myself questioning whether I even want this career anymore.
When Success Feels Empty
For the past several years, I’ve struggled to stay in jobs. I keep quitting, taking sabbaticals, then trying again – hoping the next position will somehow feel different. But the disconnection only grows stronger. Once you glimpse a broader reality, it’s hard to invest yourself in systems and goals that feel artificial and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
It wasn’t a single moment of realization, but a gradual awareness that something fundamental had shifted within me. The achievements that once felt so important now seem hollow. The path I pursued with such determination now feels like a detour from something more authentic.
Looking back, I can see what was really driving me: insecurity. I needed to prove I was smart enough, successful enough, worthy enough. I was chasing external validation and societal definitions of success rather than following my own internal compass.
Now that I’ve started waking up, none of that seems to matter anymore. What matters is connecting with others, helping people, contributing to collective growth – not climbing some arbitrary ladder of success.
A Cog in The Wheel
What specifically feels misaligned now? Almost everything.
I’m working in an industry that doesn’t align with my values. I’m a cog in a wheel helping a big corporation succeed without making any meaningful impact on actual human lives. There’s a profound emptiness in spending the majority of my waking hours on work that doesn’t serve the greater good in any way I can recognize.
I realized I chose this path for all the wrong reasons. I wasn’t following the nudges of the universe or the pull of my heart. I was following my insecurities and societal expectations of what “success” should look like.
Each day feels increasingly like wearing clothes that no longer fit. I can force myself into them, but they restrict every movement and never feel right.
The Battle Between Heart and Logic
This realization creates an ongoing internal battle. My heart and intuition pull me toward work that involves human connection and making a positive difference. My logical mind reminds me of the years of investment, the financial security, and the identity I’ve built.
And then there are others’ reactions. Every time I quit a job or take a sabbatical, people around me think I’m crazy. They can’t understand why anyone would step away from “success” – especially success that took so much work to achieve.
I struggle with feeling like I’ve wasted years of my life and significant financial resources pursuing something that no longer resonates. There’s grief in that recognition, and fear about what comes next.
But I’m also beginning to wonder if it was ever what I truly wanted, or if I was always following a script written by insecurity and conditioning rather than genuine desire.
The Pull Toward Human Connection
What’s calling me now isn’t a specific career title or industry. It’s more fundamental than that – it’s the desire to work directly with people, to create meaningful human connections, to contribute positively to others’ lives.
One of the most fulfilling jobs I ever had was years ago as a student mentor for middle and high school kids. Helping them recognize their potential, showing them they could be whatever they wanted if they put in the focus and effort – that work still impacts me over a decade later.
I also love spending time with elderly people, helping them feel loved and cared for in a society that often makes them invisible.
I don’t know exactly how to build a career around these things, but I know the energy and fulfillment I feel doing them is completely different from what I experience in my current field.
Practical Realities and Leap of Faith
Making a big career shift involves risk, especially when you’ve invested so much in building a specific professional identity. My logical brain calculates all the ways it could go wrong.
Part of me knows that if you make a big, risky move, you have to trust that the universe will support you. Yet it’s difficult to take that leap when everything around you – your own logic, others’ opinions, societal norms – is telling you it’s foolish.
So, the questions linger: What if it doesn’t work out? What if I can’t make enough money? Is it better to start something on the side or just leap all in?
Trust Versus Fear
When I think about actually making the change, fears arise: What if it doesn’t work out? What if I can’t support myself? Staying in my current field is definitely the safer choice – I’m virtually guaranteed employment and financial stability.
What does trust look like in this situation? For me, it’s believing that following what feels authentic will ultimately lead to both fulfillment AND practical support. It’s trusting that the universe responds to alignment by opening doors.
It’s also trusting myself – my resilience, my ability to pivot if needed, my capacity to create solutions if the first attempt doesn’t work out.
Advice from the Middle of the Mess
I don’t have this all figured out yet. I’m writing from the messy middle of this process, not from the other side with a neat resolution to share.
But if you’re experiencing a similar disconnect between your established career and your awakening values, here’s what I would suggest:
Start exploring your passion as a side project or hobby while maintaining your day job. Build it gradually until it can support you, then make the transition. This balances the practical with the aspirational.
Or maybe, if you’re in a position to do so, take a sabbatical to explore different possibilities. Give yourself permission to experiment without immediate pressure to make it financially viable.
Most importantly, know you’re not alone in this experience. It’s actually a common aspect of awakening that doesn’t get talked about enough – when your external success no longer matches your internal values, and you have to find the courage to honor your evolution even when it contradicts your previous life investments.
I don’t know exactly where this part of my journey will lead. But I do know that continuing to ignore this growing disconnect would be choosing safety over authenticity, security over purpose. And increasingly, that feels like the bigger risk.
How do you know when dissatisfaction is just a phase or a true sign to pivot?
List three activities that make you feel most alive and aligned. How might you incorporate more of these into your life, even in small ways?
Glow for it 
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