I recently was working with a career counseling client who said something that I’ve heard before but he put it well: “There is work guy Max and there is the real Max. Only about 50% overlap. That’s probably why I’m unhappy 50% of the time.”
My own work history mirrors this sentiment. When I was a criminal prosecutor in Philadelphia, I was happy about 80% of the time and that was about what I shared of “the real me.” When I was a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, I was the real me about 60% of the time and when I was in private practice in large law firms, I was the real me about 20% of the time. The percentages of authenticity and happiness match quite well.
Find a career where you can be you. Be happy nearly 100% of the time.