Do you find your work fulfilling, but still feel like there is something missing in your career? Are you hungry, greedy even, for more? I've struggled with this feeling for years, but have only just understood how to use it fuel me rather than allow it to consume me.
You actually like what you do.
There is a narrative that is often painted of a corporate drone, of a guy or girl who hates their work, finds it deeply unfulfilling, and then quits their job to pursue their dreams.
This narrative has never resonated with me.
I've always enjoyed and liked medicine. I ranked top 1% at medical school, won prizes and awards, and currently work at one of the world's best eye hospitals. I now get to master the art of ophthalmic surgery from incredible mentors, and apply my skills to prevent blindness and restore sight. It's actually incredibly fulfilling.
And yet you feel restless.
Still - there was a constant feeling of searching for something, always a flow of curiosities imploring me to explore them. Worse yet - it's hard to know what to do with these feelings.
As professionals, we are so internally identified with our label - "lawyer", "doctor", "banker" - that any actions inconsistent with your label trigger strong feelings of mental resistance. Externally, I've felt expectations from my parents, peers, and the system to follow the "traditional" paths laid out, and to treat my curiosities as distractions rather than signals to lean into.
Relabel yourself.
I'm here to argue that being a restless professional is a super power. Reframe your thinking :
You don't have to hate your work to want to change it.
I now understand that those tensions and curiosities weren't telling me to quit a job I loved, but instead to go deep on things that I was curious about. Rather than being worried I was falling off an invisible "path", i'm now learning how to find my own.
In the last 2 years, i've learnt to code, launched a profitable side-business with a charity-focused mission, and found an outlet for my creative passions. I've relabeled myself as a restless professional, and have been more fulfilled with my work than ever in my life.
Over the next few weeks i'll be exploring ideas around being a restless professional, building antifragile careers, and finding work-life fulfillment without quitting your job.
If this sounds like you, follow along.