Hey friends, welcome back to another episode of the Career Pivot Accelerator, the podcast that helps you stop second guessing your potential and start leading your career with bold, brave confidence. I'm your host, Peggy McKnight, your personal career coach and secret weapon to your successful career. And today's episode is for anyone who's been quietly wondering, what happened to me? I used to feel so clear, so driven, and now I just feel stuck.
If that's you, I want you to lean in close, because I'm about to give you the truth no one's saying out loud. Your career is not off track, you're just off center, and that is very different. Alright my friend, grab a comfy seat and a beverage of your choice, let's settle in and get going. So what off center really means?
Let me paint a picture for you. Have you ever driven a car where the steering wheel pulls you slightly to the left or the right, or like if you've ever driven in snow and there are the ruts because of the ice and it pulls you in one direction? You're snow technically on the road, but you can feel something is off. If you let go of the wheel, you'd veer into the ditch or somewhere else you really don't want to be.
You haven't crashed, you haven't lost your way, you're just misaligned. That's what being off center feels like in your career. I see this all the time, especially in mid-level finance professionals. You've done everything right, you earned your degree, got promoted, mastered your spreadsheets, and you're even the one people go to when things go wrong.
You're the most reliable one in the office, and yet you feel invisible or underwhelmed or worse, you're starting to wonder if maybe you've peaked or this isn't the career for you. Now let me stop you there. You didn't peak, you didn't fail. You're just misaligned with your values, your voice, and your vision, and that my friend is 100% fixable.
So what are the common signs of being off center? Now let's name it, because sometimes we don't even realize we're off center, we just feel off. Like something's not right, can't quite put your finger on it, you just know that it's just not working at the moment. Here are some clues that your career misalignment might be the culprit.
Does this sound familiar? You've reactive and not proactive. You constantly in firefighting mode instead of bleeding with strategy. You're emotionally drained by people you used to enjoy working with.
You're doing everything right by getting nowhere. Promotions, raises, recognition, they're just not happening. You've stopped dreaming, you're surviving, but not thriving. Your question is about your worth, even though deep down you know you're smart and perfectly capable, or more than capable.
If any of these resonate, I want to offer you some powerful encouragement. You don't need a complete reinvention or a new career, you just need realignment. Here are three ways to re-center yourself. So how do you shift back to center?
Let's make this very practical and easy to do. Here are three ways to reconnect with your career compass and step back into alignment starting today. Number one, check your inner voice. Start listening to how you talk to yourself.
Are you encouraging or constantly criticizing? Because if your inner dialogue sounds like your worst boss, your brain is going to shut down your best ideas. It's time to reclaim your voice. Try saying this to yourself.
I am allowed to recalibrate. I am not behind. I'm just becoming more clear. Number two, audit your energy.
Over the next week, write down what tasks drain you, which ones energize you. Pay attention to which meetings let you up, and which ones make you want to hide under your desk or just cringe. Chances are you're spending way more time in energy draining spaces than you realize. Or sometimes you don't really have a choice.
You are required to attend these meetings and they are mind-numbingly boring or just very cringe-worthy that who are these people? What planet are they on? I would never manage like this, but you know what? It's not our place or our call to say, so you just end up becoming a robot.
This isn't about quitting though. It's about adjusting. You can't bloom in depleted soil. You know the kind of soil that is just plain dirt.
No nutrients in it whatsoever. It's not getting watered. It's certainly not getting any other extra vitamins and minerals, that's for sure. So audit your energy over the next week.
Find out what drains you and which ones energize you. And three, ask yourself, what would make me feel proud right now? Not your boss, not your colleagues, you. What would make you feel proud right now?
This is your North Star, your personal pride point. It's not about getting the accolades and the recognition for a job well done. Even though that's nice, but I've seen far too often in my career where it's just lip service. It is not really coming from the heart and certainly not received in a heartfelt manner.
So ultimately what it boils down to is what makes you proud right now of what you've done, what you've achieved. Once you know it, you can start making microshifts that move you closer to it, even if you stay in the same job. Right, let me tell you a story that I 'd like to share with you about one of my clients, Melissa. She was a senior finance analyst, super sharp, like razor sharp.
And she came to me in tears saying, I think I need to quit. I'm not cut out for leadership. This isn't working. But the truth, Melissa wasn't off track.
She was just off center. She'd been molding herself into what she thought leadership looked like or expected of her. Quiet, agreeable, behind the scenes. But once we worked on her communication, helped her own her ideas and taught her how to speak with strategic influence.
Guess what happened? She started leading without waiting for permission. And she really lit up from the inside out that people wanted to be near her. It was infectious.
And her director really noticed. Six months later, she was promoted. Same job, same company, new alignment. Sometimes when we need a career reset or recalibration and just moving us back to the center point of where we really truly belong, it can take a little bit of a twist and turn.
And that twist and turn can come in the form of a really negative mindset. And sometimes it's a lot easier said than done to lift yourself out of it. But what I want you to do is really try to reframe the I'm behind belief or this isn't for me belief. Here's something I want you to write down.
Maybe even post on your desk just so you can see this first thing in the morning, last thing at night. All right. And this is I'm not behind. I'm in a recalibration season.
I'm not behind. I'm in a recalibration season. You see, we get so hung up on timelines and titles that we really start to beat ourselves up if we don't get there. For example, by 30, I should be here by 40.
I earned this by 50. I should be leading that. And when it doesn't come to fruition, we get discouraged, often despondent thinking, Oh, golly, what have I done? What is the point?
But life really isn't linear. It does take many twists and turns in a beautiful way, ways that we all have our own personal experiences and journeys to go on. When you're centered, everything flows easier. You speak with clarity.
You lead with competence. You own your space. And yes, your promotions, the recognition, the offers, they come to. But only when you're showing up as your most aligned self, not your most exhausted, not your over performing, not your super critical of anyone and everyone, and especially of yourself, or just approval seeking.
It doesn't show up when you're in that type of set mind. All right, my friend. So here's your reminder today. You're not off track.
You're just off center. And you can find your way back. You don't need to quit your job or start over from scratch. You just need to pause, reconnect with your values, your energy, and your voice and take one step towards center.
If today's message helped you feel less alone, please share with a friend who's doubting themselves. Let's remind each other. We are not broken. We are just becoming more aligned with who we're meant to be.
All right, my friend. Thank you for tuning into today's podcast. I am thrilled that you have taken the time to work on yourself in your career, and I'm happy to go along the ride and journey with you. Now go lead your career like a bold, brilliant professional you are.
I'll see you next time, my friend. Bye for now.