You Are Feeling Stuck In Your Career. Now What?

Based on a true conversation

Jack is feeling stuck

Most people feel stuck at some point in their careers. They lost the mojo along the way, work on autopilot, and count the hours to the weekend to finally enjoy life before pressing reset on Monday. This is the reality of millions of people every day. It used to be me. It could be you. Today, it’s Jack.

Jack is my former boss at Apple. I have changed the name to protect their identity. Jack has over 13 years of experience at Apple in high-profile jobs and a 7-digit package. He’s successful, well-regarded, and has an international career that looks nothing but enviable from the outside.

When Jack contacted me via LinkedIn a few weeks ago, I was thrilled to reconnect after years. We scheduled a call, and I thought he might want to offer me a job at Apple in Cupertino, California!

Well, well, the call was for a different reason. Jack wanted to get some advice on his career and next step. Jack was feeling stuck. Jack?!?

He explained that although he has a “great job,” it doesn’t excite him anymore. He goes with the motion and delivers the work, but he has lost his passion. His bank account keeps on growing, but his personal growth is on pause. He wanted to have a chat as he liked how I reinvented myself, leaving the corporate world behind, and he wanted to have a different perspective and some inspiration.

We had a great conversation about reinventing himself and reconnecting with what he’s passionate about and how to take action.

What to do when you are stuck?

After my conversation with Jack, I reflected on our discussion and how it could help others going through something similar. This is what I came up with:

1. Look in the mirror

Get some reflection time and ask yourself the tough questions:

Is this job fulfilling?

What do you like and dislike about what you are doing?

Are you powered by motivation or going with the motion?

2. Reconnect with your passions

As cliché as it sounds, asking yourself what you love doing is an important question that will help you guide your journey.

Allow yourself to dream. Picture your ideal lifestyle.

How would you like to spend your days?

What does success look like to you?

What are you great at?

3. Get different perspectives

Talk to different people and get insights from others. Jack told me he was reaching out to several people from different backgrounds to get a variety of perspectives and creative ways of thinking.

Reconnect with former colleagues, DM connections on LinkedIn, reach out to people who have reinvented themselves, and get a rainbow of insights.

4. Be vulnerable

It was pretty vulnerable for Jack to share his struggles. It was a sign of strength, and I respected him even more, particularly as he used to be my boss. It’s ok if you don’t have your sh$t together. Let people know you are struggling, lost, or feeling burned out. People will only help you if you let them know you could use a hand. Opening the vulnerability door will let people in.

5. Create something new

Set the goal of creating a new project based on your interests. It could be something as simple as launching a newsletter, creating an online group based on your interests, or hosting a coffee brainstorming session with a few close friends.

The fact of creating something will unleash your creativity and it will unlock the next opportunity.

6. Invest in your network & personal brand

It doesn’t matter how great you are. What matters is who knows of you and how great you are. If you are not doing it yet, start dedicating 30 minutes a day to building your network on LinkedIn. Your first step should focus on creating a great profile that attracts the right eyes.

Breaking the cycle

If you are stuck, you have to take the first step and “break the cycle.” Start doing something different: reach out to someone like Jack did, stop complaining, call an old friend, ask for help, get a life coach… Take that first step of initiating change and set an intention. It all starts with you and your mindset.

If you are ready to reinvent yourself, The Lemon Tree Mindset is waiting for you. Read the FREE sample on Amazon here.