Feeling stuck at the top

Many professionals in their 20s & 30s achieve success and then feel trapped because of it.

It’s surprisingly common, but unfortunately there’s a stigma around talking about it, and that creates a fear around doing something about it. 

If you’re feeling stuck right now after achieving your career goals, here’s a perspective that may help. 

Why successful professionals feel stuck

There’s a variety of reasons why top professionals feel stuck in their roles. 

Perhaps you have tied your lifestyle and your reputation to your current job? 

Perhaps you’re wearing a shiny pair of golden handcuffs?

Perhaps it’s getting harder and harder to do your job because you’re being asked to do more and more?

Whatever the reason, there’s usually one common factor.

Fear. 

You’re thinking about what you could lose, not what you could gain. 

And it’s hard to break away from that mindset. 

After all, you’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get what you have, so the prospect of letting this go is tough (especially if it comes with real world consequences). 

I’m not saying you have to make a change, especially if you don’t feel ready for it. 

But if you’re desiring change, then it will really help to move away from this fear mindset. 

Try this. 

You’ve gotten very good at playing a certain game

Take a moment to reflect on your career as an amazing journey (because it is!). 

If you look back at the start of this journey, you may have hoped for something like you have right now, but it may have felt like an unrealistic dream.

And yet here you are. 

The journey probably wasn’t easy - but that’s what makes it a hero’s journey. 

You worked hard, made great connections, experienced a bunch of setbacks but kept pushing forward. 

And sure, you may have gotten lucky, but you created a lot of this luck and took your chances.

You’ve done it. 

You’ve won.

But more specifically - you’ve won a very specific game. 

Out of all the different games you could have chosen for your career, you dedicated yourself to this one, and you crushed it. 

Now, I’m not saying that lightning can strike twice, but you’ve created an amazing foundation for your career, wherever it may go from here.

So if you want to start a new game, I suspect you’ll get very good at it too. 

You have time

Do you want to know the good news?

You don’t have to make a decision right now. 

Career change is a funny thing - a lot of time will pass where nothing happens, and then suddenly everything will change at once.

So if you feel stuck in an amazing career position, the key isn’t rapid and significant change - it’s expanding your awareness of what could be next. 

Do you need to take a career break and come back?

Do you want to be doing the same thing for someone else?

Do you want to be doing something more for yourself?

Take the time to think through what you really want for your career, and why you’re feeling so stuck right now. 

There is great power in doing so, because I am 1,000% confident that once you realise the game you WANT to play, you’ll suddenly want to start playing it (and you’ll probably get very good at playing that game too).

Thanks for reading to the end of this article!

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1. Get clear on what you want
2. Get the job you want
3. Get paid what you’re worth
4. Set yourself up for future success

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