You Are Allowed to Want More

28 Jan You Are Allowed to Want More

When people reach out to me for help with their career, their message typically says somethin’ along the lines of, “I’ve got this looks-great-on-paper job with good benefits and paid vacation, but I can’t stand it! Is there something wrong with me??”

Short answer: No.

Long answer: HELL NO.

There is nothing wrong with you.

You are allowed to want more. You are allowed to desire a life that’s different than the status quo. You are allowed to reject a job (or an entire career path) that “looks good” for work that actually feels good.

We’re raised to believe that finding a job that ticks all of the boxes (good pay, benefits, ample vacation time, and—the Holy Grail—a pension) will make us happy.

That once we’ve landed one of these jobs, we’ll do some kind of deep exhale because we’ve “made it” and skip contentedly through the rest of our days until we reach the promised land: retirement.

But this is rarely what happens.

Sure, maybe we skip along for a couple of months or years. But at some point we look around and go, “Wait—is this it? Is this all there is? Am I really supposed to do this for the next 40 years?!”

And just like that, we become prisoner to the perks we once vied for. And we feel guilty that they’re no longer enough to make us want to get up every morning.

But there is nothing wrong with you.

Work is one of the main ways we get to experience what this big, bold adventure called life has to offer. It’s okay if two weeks of vacation doesn’t quite cut it for ya. Never settle.