I never felt like myself when I practiced law at a big firm in Washington DC in the 1990s. I am completely myself in my work with clients at Career Counseling Connecticut.
Gretchen Rubin wrote The Happiness Project. Like me, Rubin had been an attorney and she left the law to pursue being a writer because she never felt quite right as an attorney (even though she was extraordinarily accomplished, Yale Law, Supreme Court clerk). Her story resonated with for obvious reasons but our clients often echo the same themes.
Do you feel right about your career? If no, then you should engage in exploratory work to figure out what would make you feel right. Here, I want to be clear: I more than fully understand financial obligations (many years of being the sole and/or primary provider of a family of 5 for years) and I always lead my discussions by saying that “I have no interest in creating starving artists.” If I have a distinct gift as a career counselor, it is figuring out how to turn a career aspiration into something practical (that can pay the bills).
If you need help making your career feel right and do so in a practical way, contact me.