Why Breaking the Rules is Key to Creating a Career You Love

24 Jun Why Breaking the Rules is Key to Creating a Career You Love

Before I owned my rebellious nature, I was a rule-follower extraordinaire. If they gave out awards for doing things the “right” way, I would’ve had a wall full of ’em.

But y’know where it led me? To unhappiness. To depression. To soul-level exhaustion. To this constant wondering where I’d went wrong when I did every. single. thing. I’d been told would lead me to a successful career.

It took me years to realize I hadn’t taken a wrong turn along the way. I was put on the wrong path to begin with.

As far back as I can remember, society told me who to be and how to act. Colour inside these lines. Follow these guidelines to get an A on your project (good girls get As).

When I thought about going left, I was told to go right—”I know you love writing, but there’s no money or jobs in that. Learn business skills, they’ll get you far.“

And who was I to question these wise adults? I was a kid who didn’t know nothin’ about the world. I trusted that they knew more about me and what was in my best interest than I did.

And I thought that by following their well-intentioned advice, I’d eventually end up skipping with joy to my c-suite office every day.

But that isn’t what happened.

I followed the rules and I forgot (or rather never really got to know) myself.

I was so worried about becoming what other people wanted me to be, that I didn’t put any thought into what I wanted.

And yet it was a complete surprise to me when I ended up in the career conundrum that I did—miserable and stuck AF.

But y’know when things started shifting? When I began saying to myself, “Forget what you should do. What do you want to do?“

It took a lot of deep diggin’, but I started forming a picture, and it looked nothing like my past.

And I realized then that my path was going to look different than the norm. But it didn’t matter, because I was the only one who’d be walking it.

If my journey sounds painfully similar to yours, then here’s what I wanna tell ya: Burn all the other boats. Abandon the status quo career options.

Become completely committed to uncovering your path and pursue it unapologetically. Because it’s the only path worth following.