It’s Okay to Want More
When you no longer feel passionate about what you do, it’s time for change. The sense of disconnection or boredom, the loss of energy, of motivation, of purpose… This is not a reflection of your skills or your work ethic, nor that you are not good enough. Often, it just means the environment around you is not a fit.
Reality is a lot of people are stuck in roles that don’t excite them. Surrounded by teams or cultures that don’t reflect their values. Working in systems that reward predictability instead of calculated risk-taking. It’s common, and it’s systemic.
Most corporate environments are bureaucratic and discourage creativity. They are often set up to standardize processes and deploy the same growth playbook that was successful in the past. Imagination and breakthroughs are often an oxymoron concept. The system penalizes risk-taking and mistakes, throttles innovation and bold thinking. Playing it safe is often valued more than thinking differently.
If you feel stuck, unmotivated, or uninspired - it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It simply means you are paying attention and that something around you may need to shift.
You don’t have to reinvent your life overnight. But you can start taking small, intentional steps to explore what a better fit might look like.
A few practical ways to start:
Take note of what tasks drain you vs. what sparks curiosity.
Talk to people doing work that energizes you. Reach out to people in roles or industries you are curious about. Ask how they got there, what energizes them, and what surprised them.
Learn something new, even if it’s unrelated to your current role. Take on a project outside your day job. Freelance. Volunteer. Join a community. Try something that helps you reconnect with curiosity.
Reflect on when you’ve felt most “yourself” at work
Revisit your own definition of success. Strip away what others expect. What matters to you? Try writing it down without using corporate buzzwords. Be grounded and clear.
Give yourself permission to explore without committing. You’re not deciding your next job right now. You are just gathering information.
The goal is not to make a massive leap today. It’s to move a little closer to work that feels right, and a version of you that feels more charged. It’s okay to want more.