Stagnant to Inspired: Your First Steps to Igniting a Fulfilling Career

Budging Boredom

For a self-diagnosed over-achiever, there is nothing like the feeling of …boredom. Not just the kind of boredom that surfaces on a quiet workday with less emails, meetings, and pressing deadlines. This was a lingering boredom, an aching boredom that wouldn’t budge. It had been calling me from a space deep within for quite some time; a dull murmur that I actively ignored, dodging the sound with more busyness and distractions. I can’t remember the moment when the clear thought arose, “Your career status right now is hmm…stagnant.” It was a powerful and unexpected realization.

Me? Stagnant?

Yes. Stagnant. Stuck.

As someone who values hard work, advancement, and growth, I never imagined reaching the middle of my career and feeling stagnant instead of successful. Yet I had reached a place where I no longer felt fulfilled, inspired, or satisfied. I suddenly felt a sense of gratitude for the boredom that was signaling to me the stagnation that was present in my career and life.

So what did I do, and more importantly what are some key things you can you do, when you first realize that your career, the one you worked so hard for, now suddenly feels like it has come to a dissatisfying halt? Take a good look at your mindset - the thoughts that are dominant during this time. It can determine how long this stagnant state sticks around.

Shifting a stagnant mindset:

1. Celebrate your stagnant status
Realizing that you’re not making the progress you desire in your career is the first step in shifting from feeling stuck to waking up. Your auto-pilot button has officially begun to malfunction. You are no longer asleep to the lack of growth and fulfilment in your career. This new awareness is something to celebrate.

2. Remember that Stuck = Sticky
Once you’ve made the realization that you’re feeling stagnant and motionless at work, it’s important not to stay stuck with the stuck emotion. What does this mean? The more we tell ourselves that we’re stuck, the less expansive we feel. We can constrict ourselves to feeling powerless, disappointed, and not have the energy or optimism to explore new possibilities. Feeling stuck is ok, but we don’t want to let this emotion stick to us and limit us from what’s possible.

3. Claim your power to re-create your career
We aren’t ever really stuck at work. We have the power to redesign our career however we want, as many times as we want. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves the permission to do so. When is the last time you asked yourself the question, “What do I really want?” With all our striving and endeavoring over the years to build our careers, it’s a question that we really do owe to ourselves. Once we begin to explore this question, the sticky stuck feeling begins to subside as we open the door to envisioning new possibilities.

Stuck to Hopeful

These are a few key ideas that can help jumpstart a much-needed pivot from feeling stagnant and stuck to re-energized and hopeful. We’ve all been there and we all make our way out of it. What are moments when you have felt stuck at work? What helped you shift your state and status? I welcome you to celebrate your new awareness and take small steps toward the career you deserve where you can bring all of You and serve at your highest level.