If you feel stuck in your career, read this

Feeling stuck is one of the worst feelings people can experience. One part of you feels like should move on from where you are now, but the other part of you is afraid of taking the next step because it is uncertain what should it be, especially when your finances and your economy depend on it.

It’s worse when you see people around you enjoying what you do, getting bigger promotions and constantly sharing about how fun and interesting their jobs are. You start blaming yourself and feeling guilty for not appreciating where you are, even though you don’t enjoy it anymore.

But let us tell you something: It’s completely normal to feel stuck in your career, and instead of seeing it as a detour, change your mindset and see this as the perfect opportunity for you to grow and move out from your comfort zone.

It’s easier said than done, but if you don’t work on yourself and the way you feel about your career, your goals and your ambitions, no one else will. Here are five tips that can help you whenever you feel uncomfortable or stuck where you are now.

1. Recognize your feelings

If you want to change how you feel, the first thing you have to do is to recognize how you feel. Some people avoid their feelings because they don’t want to deal with them and have a conversation with themselves, but even if it feels uncomfortable, if you want to improve, you have to do it.

Take some time off, spend it by yourself and take a journal with you, so you can write down everything you are feeling. Some questions that can help you are:

• How am I feeling today with my career?
• What annoys me about my career?
• What can I do to change how I feel?
• What can I today to change how I feel?
• What makes me feel excited about my career?

2. Get some inspiration

Sometimes, all you need is a good story to change how you feel. We recommend you to listen to podcasts or TED talks from people that work in the industry you are passionate about. Also, if you’re able to talk to someone whose career you find amazing, do it and ask them about their journeys. Even the most successful people had moments where they questioned if they were doing the right thing in their careers and usually, these moments had been their breakthroughs, which have taken them to the next level.

3. Try something new

You don’t have to leave your job or leave school to do this. You can start figuring out your new path by trying something you’ve never done before; whether it is related or not to your career. Just make sure it’s something you are genuinely curious about and you are willing to learn from scratch. The Internet has millions of online courses for you, and if you don’t want to pay, you can learn from other outlets like Youtube, Instagram or even TikTok.

4. Work on yourself and your brand

Do you know how important it is to have a personal brand when it comes to your career? Not everyone knows this, but the way you market yourself can make a huge difference in the opportunities you get. Do some research, get to know yourself and share the amazing person you are with the world.
You can do this by updating your LinkedIn profile, your portfolio, your website or your social media, including Instagram and Twitter. Change your photo, change your bio and create something you are proud of (and you even admire!)

5. Understand this feeling won’t be forever

Like with everything in life, this won’t be forever, and once you decide to change what makes you feel uncomfortable, you’ll see how everything will start falling into place and how you will be where you are supposed to be at that moment of your life. Embrace the season you are in, don’t blame yourself and find the good in everything that you are feeling.