How Hustle Culture Can Keep You Stuck in the Wrong Career
For the first part of my career, I took a total, “Jesus take the wheel,” approach. It worked. Until it didn’t. Maybe you’re in the same boat right now.
In this post and video, I share some of my biggest takeaways from that experience and offer insights and inspiration to take back control of your career.
Not being in control of where your career is headed sucks.
Of all of the feelings I felt when I realized I was on the achievement treadmill chasing someone else’s dream that I didn’t even want, the worst was a sense that I’d completely lost control of my career, of who I was (way too much identity tied up in my work), and how I was showing up in the world.
In the first decade of my career after graduating from the University of Michigan, I kind of just said, “Hey, Jesus, take the wheel,” Carrie Underwood style.
And it worked. Until it didn’t.
I don't know if anyone has actually ever explicitly told you this. So, I’m going to.
You deserve the confidence and power of being in control of who you are and who you're becoming.
I believe that with my whole heart, brain, and being. My life’s work is to help high-performers wanting more out of their career get that confidence, power, and control back.
I didn't always feel this way though. Obviously. That’s why we’re both here. But it’s crazy to think because by any outward measure of success, I had “the dream.”
On the outside, it looked like I was absolutely killing it. Except that the only measure that really mattered…mine. So, this “dream” that I had worked so hard for - two degrees, a few cross country moves, giving up holidays and weekends (I’d sacrificed, y’all!) - it was actually a full-blown nightmare. And it had me in a spot where I never thought I would be wondering…
“How can I be this smart, educated, accomplished and still have no clue what I'm good at or what I actually want to be doing in my career? I know it’s not this. But if not this, then what?!”
You might be in the same boat. If you are, give yourself a bit of grace. It's not entirely your fault you haven't figured this out yet.
The achievement treadmill and hustle culture are real.
That achievement treadmill that we’ve been on our entire lives is real. Just accomplish the next step. Here's the next thing. Here's the next task to accomplish and that will get you one step closer to success. All of the expectations. The pressure to reach that next clearly defined step. It's a real thing. How do I know? Because I was on it. Full disclosure: I still catch myself hopping back on out of comfort and familiarity.
I was hiding from figuring out what I actually wanted to be doing with my life behind a veil of outward success. And that choice to stay hiding behind an irrational fear of being found out as a “failure” came complete with crippling anxiety and depression. And left me every day with a deep, unnerving feeling in my gut of knowing I wasn’t even close to where I knew I wanted to be.
I made a change because I decided I couldn’t spend my life living that way. I couldn’t put my mental and physical health and well-being through through for the next 40 years.
You can make that change too. And you can do it in a way that you don't have to start over.
Career change myths that just aren’t true:
You don't have to toss your years of experience aside.
You don’t have to rework all of the skills you’ve developed.
You don’t have to rewrite who you are and what you do best.
You don't have to reinvent yourself, you build upon it