6 Signs You've Already Outgrown Your Career
For many of us, there comes a time when we look at what we’re doing, and we wonder, “Really? This is what I chose for my work?”
And, the answer as you all know is, “Yes. Yes you did.”
It’s not like anyone forced you to do what you’re doing. No one forced me to be a lawyer (even though it is easy for me to say that someone did and then shirk all responsibility for not taking the path that would have been scarier and, more likely, more fulfilling).
No one forced you to do what you’re doing either. And, yet, if you’re here there is likely some sense that, maybe - just maybe - you’ve outgrown what you chose to do. The old you chose it, but now there is the today you - and the today you is thinking, “Meh.”
Now, let me be clear: choosing it wasn't a mistake. It probably gave you exactly what you needed for a long time. Outgrowing something is not the same as regretting it.
So, if you’re looking for some clarity here, then perhaps these 6 signals might sound familiar and might be inviting you into some bigger questions.
You could do this job in your sleep — and increasingly, you do
You are doing your best work ever. Everyone is so happy with what you are delivering - you are a total rockstar. Promotions are guaranteed. 50% bonus? Yep. It’s yours. The most prestigious files? Of course - you are the one that gets them because you are the best.
And, you aren’t even trying.
You are, in fact, so detached from the work that you are just doing this on auto-pilot. There is, really, nothing in it at all for you besides a pay check. And, so, you keep delivering - excellently - because, despite you not caring at all about the work, you need to do it well to keep the job that keeps you fed (and, likely, then some).
This is a different beast of a trap, because in this scenario, there is no chance the bottom is going to fall out. It is all on you to make the decision to leave. Which is, of course, that much harder.
You’re excellent at your job - and - completely indifferent to it
The other side of this is that you simply don’t care how things turn out. You are apathetic. You couldn’t care less whether the client is happy or sad with the outcomes. You are happy to submit, let’s say, “less than optimal” work product. It doesn’t matter to you whether the company goes belly up in the next 6 months. In fact, you secretly, desperately hope that it does, just so that you don’t have to quit but can finally be rescued from what you likely already know is work that you are very much over.
Most people take this to mean that they have lost their mojo - they are just getting worse at the work, and so, they double down - more training, more education, more ways to refine their skills so they can get back to being really good at this thing that they don’t care about at all.
Does the lack of care and poor performance have anything to do with skill? Or, does it have everything to do with lack of connection to the work itself?
Your professional reputation is for work you no longer find meaningful
Or, this situation. You are the person that everyone goes to for a certain task. Let’s say it’s design work. Or, a specific area of law. Let’s say you are the only person who knows how to engineer a very specific type of garage door for über high-end homes. You have a clear dominance of the market, and, you are paid handsomely for what you deliver. You are good at it - and - you’re basically the only one who knows how to do it. If you stop doing it, someone else will jump in. You are known for this - your entire professional reputation is at stake if you stop doing what you are doing. You’d be crazy to give this up!
So, why do you want to give it up so badly? Clearly, there is no reason (at least on paper here) that indicates this would be the right choice. But, what if - yes, what if by some outside chance - you would be able to develop that same reputation, make just as good of a living, and - wait for it - feel deep, personal satisfaction - doing something else?
That last part is so often the missing ingredient for folks who are really good at what they do - it just so happens that they are really good at the wrong thing.
You close the deal, win the case, make the sale - and feel nothing
The Hedonic Treadmill. We all know it. It’s been talked about to death.
So, why do we keep doing it? Is it escapable?
I think so. Because, as soon as you really become aware of it, you start to realize, “Wait a minute. I’m not going to feel any better about my work, even when I land this next huge client/close this exhaustingly long term deal/finally get my long awaited Executive Producer credit?”
And, then, once you know, you start to not do those things. You start to shy away slightly from the things that, even though you think are going to give you long term satisfaction, are hollow. They are shells of the things that once gave you much longer lasting joy. On the treadmill, every next hit gives you just that much less satisfaction because it’s hedonistic - it is pleasure pursuing only.
Is it possible for the “hits” to be things that really mean something to you? That aligned with your values? That lit you up in a way that was beyond simply making more money (despite, yes, the fact that we all need money and you can not simply put that aside and you can’t ask these questions unless you are at baseline safe in terms of finances), or, more reputational prestige, or more “more”?
I’d bet it would take less hits to feel satisfied - and, maybe, you could get off that treadmill for a bit.
The version of you who chose this path no longer exists
Whoa, Jordan. Now you’re just going for the jugular.
Some of you might be thinking that. But, so what? Have you really not asked yourself this question in some other way?
For example:
“I liked this when I was younger, but now? Not for me.”
Or,
“This is not how I thought it would turn out when I was planning for my future.”
These are all variants on the same theme - namely - that there was once a person - who had the same name as you (maybe slightly different hair and face), but for sure, the same name as you, and they chose this path. They chose it knowing that, at some point, “today you” would be there. But, they didn’t really know “today you”. So, was it fair for them to choose it?
NO. NO IT WASN’T.
The problem is that they really couldn’t have known any better. They were doing the best with the information they had at hand. And, so, they decided.
Now, be that as it may, that doesn’t mean you are stuck with their choices. Because, “today you” is not the you of the past. That person is dead. Sorry. But it’s true.
So, you are free. You are free of the “you of the past” to make a decision. Sure, you will suffer some of the consequences of the decisions of “old you”, but you are also the only person who is in a position to make more changes that are an improvement on the decisions of “old you”. No one can do that for you.
Stop working for the dead you.
What you actually want now would surprise the people who think they know you
Speaking of “the dead you” - how many people really know what the today you really would rather be doing?
How many times have you told the people in your life that you don’t really believe what you are doing is what you are meant to be doing any longer - and, that you believe you actually could do something else - something more meaningful and connected to you as a person?
Would they be shocked?
Maybe. But, you can’t know unless you actually tell them.
And, I’ll bet - especially for those people who really know you - they won’t be shocked at all.
When I decided to leave law, almost no one was shocked. In fact, one lawyer I know specifically called me to say, “So, you finally woke up!” It’s like he had been waiting for it.
And, that was a huge relief.
For two main reasons: 1. I realized that not only were people not disappointed in me making such a huge change, but were actually happy for me, and in fact, had secretly been hoping that one day I would know what they knew about me; and, 2. I realized that despite my best efforts, its really hard - in fact, pointless - to keep secret the things that we care about most - the things that we have longings for and wish that we could make real, if only the circumstances or timing or money or - whatever - were better.
The question isn't whether you've outgrown your career. It's how much longer you're willing to pretend you haven't.
Jordan Nahmias is the founder of Unstuck Consulting, an executive coaching practice for lawyers and other professionals. A former entertainment law partner in Toronto, he helps high performers navigate burnout, career transition, and identity.
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