Stop ticking other people’s boxes
Nice one.
You’ve been living a life that sounds impressive when people ask about it. Solid career. Good reputation. All the markers of success lined up neatly.
But what happens when, if you’re honest, it hasn’t felt like your life for a while now?
You’re not miserable, but you’re not energised either. You’re running hard, but towards what, exactly? Tick, tick, tick… the checklist is being completed, but there’s no sense of WHY. And lately you’ve started wondering:
Am I actually living? Or just running down the clock?
That question doesn’t come from nowhere. It creeps in when you realise you’ve been following a set of rules that you never really agreed to - or that worked for you once, but stopped making sense years ago.
You were told to aim high, stay busy, say yes, be reliable. And you did. You’ve played the game well. But when was the last time you stopped to ask whose game it actually is?
Some of the “rules” you’ve internalised are so deeply embedded they feel like truth, but are they really?
Are those real rules? Or just assumptions that went unchallenged?
And if they’re not working for you anymore… could they be adjusted?
Get curious. Start noticing what no longer fits, or what you’re doing out of habit, fear, or obligation.
And slowly, try experimenting with a different way.
Maybe you start protecting your Fridays. Or saying no without guilt. Maybe you move closer to the beach, or away from the city altogether (hello, coastie neighbours!). Maybe you take on something new that doesn’t fit the tidy arc of your CV - but it feels more like you than anything has in years.
You don’t need to burn it all down – by all means keep the parts that still work. It’s just worth realising you’re allowed to let go of the parts that don’t.
So if you’ve started hearing the question - Is this it? - don’t ignore it.
You don’t need a crisis to change course. Just a willingness to check whose boxes you’re ticking.
What’s been your experience with this? Hit reply and let me know!
Until next week, take care of yourself and others
Madeleine
I help accomplished professionals untangle difficult career questions so they can thrive in work and life.
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