“Settling for a safe ride? It is only through taking action, that we gain true clarity in what will bring career fulfilment.”

After years of helping others with their careers, there’s a place I can confidently say nearly every one of us has been. It’s that place in your career where deep down, you know you’re settling for a safe ride. You feel resigned to the place you are in (at least for now), and try to remind yourself of all the things you should be grateful for. Except, you cannot shake that gnawing feeling that there has to be more. It continues to creep up, quieter some days, louder others.

When you settle in your career, you are in a place of inaction; what I refer to as a career waiting room. Often, you have decided that when something external to you occurs, you will feel happy. You may be waiting for your boss to move on, waiting for that promised promotion, waiting to save that nest egg, waiting for another year’s bonus, waiting to start a family, or waiting to take that OE. You count the days, the weeks, and sometimes the years as you continue to yearn for career fulfilment. Except it doesn’t come, because you are stuck in a career rut, waiting for the when to occur.

When you settle in your career, it can take a catalyst to propel you forward. That catalyst comes in many shapes and sizes; redundancy, colleagues leaving, relocation, workplace conflict, illness, or a life change outside your career. As challenging as these catalysts may feel, you are suddenly in a much better place than the career rut, as you now feel little choice but to act. It is only through taking action, that we can gain true clarity in what will bring career fulfilment. Thoughts alone won’t achieve clarity, clarity requires action.

My challenge to anyone settling for a safe ride is to take some form of action. Take one small action each day towards the change you wish to see in your career. This can be as small as digging out your CV, to verbalising to someone that you are wanting change in your career. Only once you start moving in the direction of where you want to head, will you get a gauge on what feels right.