You're Not Done Yet.

Welcome to Musings. Where I share insights that have impacted me, thoughts on personal growth, and actionable strategies to help you navigate career and life.

Today: When we think of ourselves as means rather than ends, our work feels different.

Life is a Transition

"What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end: what can be loved in man is that he is an overture and a going under" - Friedrich Nietszche

This is not the first time I’ve mentioned Nietzsche here.

Nietzsche’s idea of humans as bridges - always in transition, never a final destination - can feel like a relief when you're stuck, reminding us that we’re works in progress."

Here are few more reasons I am into this line.

Nothing is Really Going to Last Forever

Sad, yes - I know.

There is very little finality to what we are doing here on this earth. Sure, we often think that we are going to “become” something. I fall into this trap all the time - when will I become the thing I am supposed to be? When will I achieve the things that I am put here to do? What is it that will be my legacy? Can I just get there already?

All of this expresses some sort of finality to my being here.

Which, I guess, is realistic in some ways. There is a lot of finality in life - ends of relationships, ends of careers, ends of - well - life.

But, at least while we’re here, there is no finality. None. We are crossing the span that connects our entry and exit into this world. Nietzsche says we’re bridges. Viktor Frankl says meaning comes from striving, not stasis. Put those together, and life’s about moving forward — even when it’s wobbly.

And, we can apply this in all sorts of spheres. In the career world, for instance.

Meet Jane. Mid-career, good paycheck, nice title, totally stuck. She has no idea what to do next. She’s halfway across one of those bridges you would see in every jungle adventure movie.

Turns out, being on a bridge is scary.

But it’s not the end — it’s just the next wobble before the next step.

This doesn’t make it easy, by the way. It’s super hard. But, the challenge invited in here is not to cling to stability but to lean into the discomfort of what’s next, perhaps learning a new skill, starting a side project, or redefining what success means. If we think of our careers through this lens, it’s not the becoming of our profession that is what counts. What counts is that our profession is simply one step on the bridge, as Nietszche puts it - to something else.

Which brings me to my next reason…

There’s Always Something Else

And, when there is always something else to move towards, there is always something to lose or give up. Joseph Campbell gets to this in his idea of the hero’s journey - we must leave, endure transformation, and then return enlightened (or at least more well equipped for what’s to come). Jung also touches on this - we must confront the stuff in shadow that we’d rather ignore - but only in confronting it can we let go of what’s unneeded and move towards what is next for us.

It’s a common theme. And one which many entrepreneurs face, I believe.

Picture a startup founder whose big idea went up in flames. First, they sulk. Then, in the ashes, they find their next big idea — plus a hard-earned dose of humility. That ‘failure’? Just another plank on the bridge. In that plank there is resilience, self-awareness, and new ideas that shape their next venture. It may feel Sisyphean, but failure wasn’t the end — it was simply a step towards the next thing - for which the entrepreneur is now better prepared, more aware of and for, and, able to navigate.

The Overture Never Ends

Finally, what I love about this is the use of the term “overture”. An overture is a prelude to something bigger. "

You know the William Tell Overture? The one with the big finish?

Listen to it - now. Then come back to this.

This might sometimes feel exhausting, but life is like that too - there’s always something else coming down the pipe.

The existential psychologist, Rollo May, argued that meaning isn’t something you find, but something you create through action, choice, and engagement with life.

Alfred Adler emphasized the importance of striving for significance - a forward-looking process of contributing to something larger than yourself.

Point being - this isn’t final. There is, in fact, nothing final about anything we do or are. Rather, they are all ways of being that give way to something else, something next, something that our work and life serves as a bridge to.