this is day #1 of #100DaysOfCareers

“is this it?”

you’ve asked yourself this at least once.

on the way to work. or lying on the couch post 10pm. or worse, during a zoom call while nodding to a roadmap you had no part in shaping.

“Is this it?”

you’re not failing. your calendar is full. reviews are fine. your team trusts you. people lean on you. you still deliver. and yet, something’s missing. it all feels a little flat. like the work used to stretch you, and now it just fills your day. but it doesn’t feel like you're doing anything. not anything that moves you, at least.

the symptoms are subtle at first. but you can sense the difference.

fewer butterflies before launches. no fire in shipping something new. a dullness. repetition. a quiet resignation.

you know something’s off. not broken. not urgent. just… off.

you tell yourself a break might fix it. a weekend away from the city. a sexier project. or a new manager. deep down you know it’s bigger.

you’re feeling like––

am I still growing here? is this my actual potential? is this it?

if you’re still reading this, there’s a good chance you already know something needs to shift, but maybe you haven’t figured out where to start, or worse, maybe you’ve convinced yourself that this is just what being a “high performer” in your mid career feels like. competent, exhausted, and slightly disconnected from the ambition that got you here.

you’re pinned between two hard truths: maybe you’ve outgrown the role, or maybe you have no clue what comes next.

these questions don’t come with answers. just doubt. and a low level restlessness that doesn’t go away.

so what now?

there’s no formula that works for everyone. and definitely not a motivational quote. no magic pill to the mess we’re in. but there are two parts that i’ve seen that always seem to work. and they’re less about external change and more about internal honesty.

first, you have to face what’s really happening.

but not in a vague, “i think i might be bored” kind of way, but with uncomfortable clarity about which parts of your work have become shit. not knowing this “problem” builds tension. which builds anxiety. which shows up as procrastination. or doubt. or anger.

sometimes, people think they already know the answer. and that answer scares them. but, that's where they're wrong. so before you start, don’t assume you know. step into the exercise with a clear head. no biases.

now for our exercise. look at your last 6 months.

one, list every project you touched.

what was it? how long did it take? what was your role in it? what did you learn from it? did the work stretch your thinking? did it change your perspective? did it build equity for the company? or for you?

while you build that list, ask the nagging questions in full sentences. why am I restless? which part of this project feels stale? write until it stops sounding clever. when it start sounding raw, that’s when you’re getting close to the problem.

don’t underestimate this step. you’ll feel silly. but this is the most honest work you’ll do. because until we know exactly what’s wrong we won’t be able to act on it. you’ll just keep numbing it. with weekends. with social media. with tiny productivity hacks that don’t fix anything.