Relentlessly Pursuing the Next Promotion
From getting the best mark in class to always winning the next logical promotion, ‘high achiever’ is practically your middle name. As soon as you reach one goal, you’re busy chasing the next. You’re like the David Beckham of business.
Sitting back and enjoying where you’re at is something you’ll make time for later. Well, that’s what you keep telling yourself, anyway. As long as you keep busy working towards that next goal, there’s no time to stop and admit you’re not actually sure you’re on the right path anymore.
It often takes a lot of hard work and ladder-climbing to realise that happiness is not defined by reaching the top. Don’t get me wrong. A snappy job title and a healthy income help you live a more comfortable life, for sure, but they don’t necessarily equal fulfilment.
Sometimes you think you should be happier that you've got all the things the younger you wanted.
Then again, younger you liked crop tops.
Things change.
Here’s your reality check - the modern signals of success are for the masses. You can ‘have it all’ and still feel entirely empty. It can be awkward to admit. Firstly, we don’t want to sound ungrateful for all we have. And secondly, the idea of starting something new and dropping a few notches down that ladder of achievements is entirely terrifying.
As a high achiever, you always want to be moving forward, not taking steps back, but true success is entirely personal. There are a few important questions we should all be asking throughout our career to keep ourselves in check.
What are my values?
What’s my reason for doing what I do?
What do more money and a better job title really mean for me?
What truly energises me and lights me up?
It’s worth remembering that when we overplay our strengths, it can lead to downfalls. When you’re used to being the best and always climbing the ladder, it’s easy to lose focus on why you’re actually doing it at all. It’s surprisingly common, but moving up just because you can is sort of like driving across town to buy milk instead of going to the shop on the corner of your street just because you have enough fuel in the car.
It’s funny how when we’re good at something, expectations immediately appear; from ourselves and those around us, but expectations are not our friend. Just because we’re capable of going further with something doesn’t mean we necessarily should. If we’re not careful, those ‘shoulds’ entirely overshadow our wants and before too long we find ourselves living a life full of great achievements to list on a resume, but totally devoid of fulfillment and happiness.
Making change in your career is scary. You might stumble a little at first and make mistakes, but that’s all part of learning and becoming great at what you do. And you’d probably be surprised by how many skills from your old career trajectory translate to your new direction. Being a high achiever is an innate characteristic and will be with you whatever path you follow. All that stop-at-nothing, give-it-everything-you’ve-got stuff isn’t going to disappear just because you’ve veered off in a different direction. Instead of overplaying these traits to the point where you end up burnt out (been there, done that, bought the t-shirt), let's look at how you can achieve in the areas that light you up and energise you the most.
If you let it, your ego will keep you stuck. A mindset fixated on a destination you never wanted to reach in the first place isn’t going to help, but an outside perspective will.
Work with me and together, we’ll uncover what’s working for you and what’s not. Together we can redefine what it is you’re aiming for, refocus your energy, repurpose your innate skills so you can achieve the things you truly want and revive your inner happiness.
A job that you feel excited to get up for in the morning, that leaves you feeling truly fulfilled is seriously not that far away. It’s all about reviving and redefining your focus.