What happens when you get the dream job you thought it would take you longer to get or when you throw yourself into a career you thought you’d always love, and now you no longer do? What do you do when you accomplish what you thought you couldn’t accomplish and the result isn’t as satisfying as you thought it would be?
How do you navigate the guilt of feeling ungrateful when you know deep down you want more? How do you break past the cloudiness of not feeling good enough for the next level, especially when you know you can’t stay where you are?
These are questions no one talks about out loud because we fear some may brush it off as “good problems” to have.
But when you find yourself at the crossroads between what you’ve done and what you’re hoping to do next, the burden is as heavy as any other weight.
That’s why when I stumbled upon New York Times best-selling book, More Than Enough by former Teen VogueEditor in Chief, Elaine Welteroth, I knew I had to share the words that explained how so many young professionals feel in the midst of career changes.
Her words — and the words spoken to her, in this book, are the exact melodies you need to hear if you’re on the verge, or in the middle, of a transition in your career.
- “When the world tells you to shrink, expand.”
- “There is a divine order, a divine flow to our lives. We don’t need to have all the answers. But our job is to keep on dreaming and trusting enough to put one foot in front of the other.”
- “Discovering what you don’t want is just as important as finding out what you do.”
- “If you know what you want, ask for it. And be specific. You might just get it.”
- “If we aren’t vigilant, we can move through our entire lives feeling smaller than we actually are—by playing it safe, by unconsciously giving away our power, by dimming our radiance, by not recognizing there is always so much more waiting for us on the other side of fear.”
- “Falling down is inevitable. It’s the getting back up that’s on you.”
- “Nothing good can grow if you don’t nourish your own soil.”
- “The greatest leverage in any negotiation is a successful track record and a genuine willingness to walk away.”
- “When the music changes, so must your dance.”
- “There is no glory in a grind that literally grinds you down to dust.”
- “Bite off only what you can chew. Take one bite at a time. Chew thoroughly. Swallow fully. Breathe. Make room for the next bite. Find time to laugh. It’s better for digestion.”
- “Your body and soul have a way of telling you when the music is changing.”
- “Growing a sustainable career that withstands the test of time requires consistent energy that builds momentum over time. But when you have been running nonstop on a hamster wheel toward a goal with blinders on, you might not know how to slow down, let alone get off. Even when you need to.”
- “There is hustle and there is flow, and you cannot successfully achieve one without the other.”
- “There is more honor in losing a battle with dignity than in winning a war without it.”
- “There is work, and then there is your life’s work.”
- “Sometimes it takes reaching the summit to see what’s on the other side.”
- “The universe is calling you to be a little bit braver right now.”
- “Our lives are a series of dreams realized.”
- “Job titles are temporary. But purpose is infinite.”
- “There are no destinations, no happily ever afters in real life, no glossy pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. There are only new beginnings.”
- “Just as you reach your first summit, you’ll find a new horizon awaits, one with new mountains to climb, new peaks and valleys to wander across.”
- “Trust that life will continue molding you, challenging you and readying you for your next adventure.”
- “Only you can choose to walk away from what no longer serves you, to leave what you’ve already conquered, and to boldly step into what’s next.”
- “When you feel yourself existing in the space between dreams realized, parts of you will feel too big for where you are, while other parts of you will feel too small for where you’re going. Go anyway.”
- “When you get lost, it’s okay to stop, to look up, to look within for the answers—they’re always there.”
- “You have done enough. You are enough. You were born enough.”
Life isn’t one long straight road. Life is one long journey, full of many roads, twists and turns. Have the courage to embrace the twists and turns when they come, because they always do.
Adunola Adeshola coaches high-achievers on how to take their careers to the next level and secure the positions they’ve been chasing. Grab her free guide.