“I've built the career I wanted... Why am I so unhappy?”

Today I’m analysing the situation of Harriet.

Harriet reached out to me about joining my Creative Career Level Up Programme.

For the last 15 years, Harriet has built exactly the sort of career she set out to build.

She's worked on exciting projects, progressed into senior roles and built a strong reputation for herself along the way. 

If you'd asked her ten years ago what success looked like, she probably would have described the career she has today.

Which is what makes her situation so interesting.

Because when we spoke, Harriet wasn't talking about a bad boss, a toxic workplace or a lack of opportunities.

In fact, nothing had really gone wrong at all.

She just couldn't ignore the feeling that the things which used to motivate her weren't having the same effect anymore.

What's the challenge?

What struck me during our conversation was that Harriet wasn't dealing with a career problem.

She was dealing with a life problem.

For years, work had been the focus. The next opportunity. The next promotion. The next exciting project. Like many ambitious people, a huge amount of her identity had become wrapped up in her career.

And to be fair, it had paid off.

But now she's at a different stage of life.

She's started thinking more seriously about what she wants the next ten years to look like. Not just professionally, but personally too.

The problem is that while her priorities are changing, part of her is still attracted to the same things she's always been attracted to. The big brands. The impressive companies. The opportunities that look exciting on paper.

And she's trying to work out whether she still genuinely wants those things, or whether she's simply spent so many years chasing them that she's forgotten to stop and ask herself the question.

How can she move forward?

I think the biggest shift Harriet needs to make is accepting that it's okay for her priorities to change.

A lot of people struggle with this.

They assume that if they're no longer chasing the same things they were chasing ten years ago, they've somehow become less ambitious.

I don't think that's true. I think ambition evolves.

The challenge is making sure your career evolves alongside it.

My advice

1. Spend less time looking at jobs and more time thinking about your future

One thing I noticed during our conversation was that Harriet had spent a lot of time looking at different companies, different industries and different career paths.

But the more we talked, the more I felt she was trying to answer the wrong question.

The question isn't "What's my next job?"

The question is "What do I want my life to look like?"

Because once you know the answer to that, the career decisions become much easier.

Right now Harriet is trying to choose between opportunities without having a clear picture of what she's actually building towards.

2. Be careful not to chase goals that belong to a previous version of yourself

This is something I see surprisingly often.

People spend years working towards a particular version of success, then feel guilty when they realise they don't want it anymore.

Harriet has spent a long time building a successful career. Naturally, her instinct is to keep pushing forward in the same direction.

But there comes a point where it's worth asking whether you're still chasing something because you want it, or because you've spent years telling yourself you should want it.

They're not always the same thing.

3. Don't assume a bigger brand will solve the problem

Harriet was very honest about the fact that she's still drawn to prestigious companies and exciting opportunities.

I completely understand that. I've worked for some of those companies myself. They're exciting places to be.

But I don't think her challenge is going to be solved by finding a bigger logo to put on her CV.

What she's really searching for is a different relationship with work.

One where work is still important, still fulfilling and still challenging, but no longer the thing that defines everything else in her life.

That's a very different goal. And it's one that requires a different approach to the next career move.

Harriet has such an exciting chapter ahead.  But the challenge isn't that she lacks opportunities.

The challenge is that she's reached a point where the definition of success that got her here may no longer be the definition of success that takes her forward.

And recognising that might be the most important career decision she makes.

If you're feeling like Harriet and you're questioning what success looks like for you now, the Creative Career Level Up programme might be exactly what you need.

Check out more details, including testimonials, on our website here