Feeling Stuck in Your Career? 5 Tips to Move Forward

Professionals often contact me because they are feeling stuck in their career in some way. They have lost excitement about going to work every day – maybe due to something happening in their organization, maybe the culture at work is toxic, maybe their boss or co-workers are hard to work with  – or they are bored and need a new challenge. A common theme that emerges is that people want work that is meaningful – where they feel challenged and are making a contribution to the larger organization. 

So what do you do when you are feeling stuck in your career? How do you get “unstuck”? How do you become excited about going to work again every day?

Read on for 5 tips to move forward. 

Why Are You Stuck?

When I first start working with a client, we try to pinpoint the source of why they are feeling stuck. Sometimes this is easy – it is clear to them what the problem is. Other times, it requires some more work to uncover this.

Some questions you might want to consider are:

When did you start feeling stuck?

What changed around that time? At work or at home?

Are you already looking for a new job and feeling stuck in your search?

Look to the Past…

Next, look to the past for answers. Before you started feeling stuck, what did you like about going to work everyday? There was something about your job or company that attracted you to it initially. What was it like at work when you first started? What are accomplishments that you are proud of?

And Then Think to the Future

Don’t stay in the past for too long. Think about where you want to be professionally in the future. What would an ideal day look like for you? Is your role in line with your ideal job?

How to Get Unstuck

Once you have pinpointed the source of why you are feeling stuck, past successes and where you want to be in the future, you can start to identify what steps you can take to get “unstuck.” Enlisting the help of a friend, mentor or coach can help you in this process.

Take Steps, Even if They Are Small

You do not have to make a drastic change right away – making small changes can be impactful. You can travel across the country by flying in a few hours (faster change) or driving for days (longer change, more stops.) 

From the example above, you can see that either option will get you across the county – one will just take more time. Taking small steps may seem like you are not making progress – slowly, but surely you will reach your career goals. Taking small steps will help you to avoid not taking any action and standing still. 

Is there something you can change about your current situation so that you would be happy? 

Or do you need to think about a larger change?

You Will Not Be Stuck Forever

Feeling stuck is temporary – as long as you take time to assess your situation and start to take action, you will become “unstuck” from where you are. Remember where you want to go professionally in the future and focus your energy on taking the steps to get there. 

Feeling stuck in your career? Schedule a time to talk with me about how we can help you get “unstuck.”