Read this before you jump ship…
What your restlessness is really telling you
Many professionals reach a quiet crossroads: the job is fine, the people are decent, the pay is great. But the work… it no longer challenges, excites, or grows you.
When that happens, it’s tempting to assume the solution lies elsewhere. A new job. A different path. But what if the real issue isn’t the job itself…
SEEKER: I still like my job. The people are decent, the pay is great. But the work itself… what I do day in and day out, doesn’t excite me like it used to. It feels like I’m drifting away from the kind of work I want to do. Work I think is meaningful.
SAGE: But the actual work hasn’t changed?
SEEKER: No.
SAGE: Then it’s not your work that has changed. It’s you.
SEEKER: I… I guess that’s logical. But shouldn’t our work evolve with us? Shouldn’t I feel like I’m getting closer to the kind of impact I want to make?
SAGE: Unless you’ve defined that impact with precision, how would you even know if you were closer or further away from it?
SEEKER: I have a general idea. I want to do work that aligns with my values. Something that feels useful, challenging… not just busy.
SAGE: Useful. Challenging. Not just busy. Do you see how vague those words are? A surgeon, a kindergarten teacher, and a climate scientist could each say the same. And yet their days look nothing alike.
SEEKER: So you’re saying I don’t know what I want?
SAGE: I’m saying that your feeling of misalignment might not come from being on the wrong path.
SEEKER: Then what?
SAGE: Often there’s a reason you’re doing the type of work you're doing. So the feeling you have might come from your mindset, or something you’re trying to avoid.
SEEKER: Isn’t it possible I’ve just taken a wrong turn? That I’m headed somewhere I don’t want to go?
SAGE: Maybe. But first let’s consider another explanation. Instead of asking, “Where did I go wrong?” what if you asked, “What purpose is this dissatisfaction serving?”
SEEKER: What do you mean, what purpose? I’m not choosing to feel this way.
SAGE: I believe we choose our emotions. Even the painful ones. And we choose them to serve a psychological goal. You say your work feels misaligned now. But is it the work, or could it be fear that the next step requires you to make a bold move? Perhaps one that requires you to step outside your comfort zone?
SEEKER: So… you think I’m manufacturing dissatisfaction to avoid change?
SAGE: It’s possible. A vague sense of being lost is easier to endure than the discomfort of asking, “What do I really want, and what am I willing to risk for it?”
SEEKER: But I’m not avoiding the question. I ask myself that all the time.
SAGE: And what do you do with the answers?
SEEKER: (pauses) Honestly, not much. I’m afraid I’ll make a move and it’ll lock me into this career for the next 20 years. Or that I’ll fail at the next level and end up in the same spot again.
SAGE: Now we are closer to the truth. You don’t want a new job, you want new meaning before you commit to it. But you’re looking for the work to provide you with the meaning.
SEEKER: Isn’t that what we should all look for? Purposeful work?
SAGE: Purpose is not found. It is assigned. By you. The same job, done with a different why, becomes an entirely different experience.
SEEKER: But I can’t just pretend the work matters more than it does.
SAGE: Who said anything about pretending? You must take radical responsibility. Instead of asking, “Is this job meaningful?” ask, “How can I make this job meaningful?” That is agency. Not to demand a better world, but to act as though you have the power to shape it.
SEEKER: Even if the system is flawed? Even if the role is limited?
SAGE: Especially then. The professional who lives well is not the one with the perfect role, but the one who keeps assigning purpose to imperfect roles.
SEEKER: So I shouldn’t quit?
SAGE: That’s not what I said. You may choose to leave. But don’t do it because you’re “lost.” Leave because you see clearly where you want to go, and when this role no longer supports that vision. Or stay and make that bold move that helps you make that uncomfortable next step. But clarity must come first. Otherwise, you’ll carry your dissatisfaction into the next job, and the next.
SEEKER: That makes sense. But it’s hard.
SAGE: Yes. And?
SEEKER: (smiles) And I guess that’s the point.
SAGE: Exactly. Stop treating discomfort as a sign that something’s wrong. It might be the first sign that something important is about to begin.
If this made you think of a friend or teammate, hit forward and pass it on. It only takes 10 seconds and it might be exactly what they need today.