A friend is going through a divorce that has left her numb and confused. She's not sure she wants to go through with the proceedings. The lawyers are pressuring her to move forward quickly but her heart is telling her to slow down.
In trying to lend some help, I told her that the only person she needed to please was herself. Whether she went forward with the divorce or reconciled with her husband, she only needed to consider what she wanted, both short-term and long-term, rather than worrying about what she "should" do.
Those words stuck with me. I realized how often we do things because momentum carries us that way, rather than because that's really the direction we want to go. Our careers are no exception. We get into a position and stay there because it's comfortable, or because we making enough money, or because people say we'd be stupid to leave. But when that position no longer challenges, inspires or brings out the best in you (and I guarantee you are no longer giving your best to it), then you need to decide what pleases you... and do that.
What you really want is most likely scary and wrought with uncertainty. But if you look carefully, you’ll find that a spark there too. And that spark is likely to catch fire, taking your career to new heights.
Don't put off doing what pleases you. It’s the only link you have to a life you love.
