If you feel stuck in your career, you may be suffering from tomorrowness – dreaming of a different life, a different future but overwhelmed with where to begin or how to make a change.
Doing what you love requires courage.
Stop waiting for tomorrow. Build the life that you want starting today.
If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Things will be better when…,” you’re not alone. Many people find themselves caught in a cycle of waiting—waiting for the right time, for more clarity, for external validation, or for life to somehow shift and make their next career move obvious.
But the truth is, that moment rarely arrives fully formed. If you’re feeling stuck in your career, it’s time to stop postponing change and start exploring what’s possible, right now.
“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
Susan Jeffers
What if this is the perfect time?
We’re often told to wait for the perfect wave, to hold off until we’re more experienced, more confident, more certain. But life rarely delivers perfect conditions. While you’re waiting, the tide is still moving, and your days are still passing.
Being stuck in your career, especially if it no longer reflects your values or fulfils your ambitions, can quietly drain your energy and confidence. And the longer you wait, the harder it feels to make a move.
Tomorrow thinking keeps you trapped
There’s a seductive comfort in planning for “tomorrow.” It allows you to delay decisions and sidestep the discomfort of uncertainty. But delaying action comes at a cost – your wellbeing, your sense of purpose, and your professional growth.
Ask yourself: what are you really waiting for?
- More time?
- A better mood?
- Someone else to give you permission?
Every time you say “not yet,” you may be reinforcing a deeper belief that you’re not ready or not capable. But readiness doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from doing. If you’re feeling stuck in your career the best thing to do is start taking action towards a new future.
Taking back control starts with clarity
If your current role no longer feels like a fit, the first step is reconnecting with what matters most to you.
Here are three questions to help you get unstuck:
- What kind of work energises me, even on hard days?
- What values do I want to see reflected in my career?
- What’s one small thing I can do this week to move toward change?
Clarity doesn’t come all at once. It emerges through exploration, reflection, and action, no matter how imperfect.
Perfection isn’t required – momentum is
Many of us were taught to play it safe, to tick boxes, to follow a neat path. But often, the careers that feel most fulfilling are the ones we create on our own terms.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin. You just need to start, whether it’s booking a conversation with a coach, updating your CV, or saying no to something that no longer serves you.
As writer Eric Micha’el Leventhal put it: “Change happens the moment you want something more than you fear it.”
Define success for yourself
Success is not defined by titles or promotions. It’s measured by the impact you have, the values you honour, and the sense of fulfilment you feel at the end of the day.
Building a career that reflects who you are won’t always be easy but it will always be worth it.
Your next step starts now
If you’re feeling stuck in your career, don’t wait for the wave to come to you. Start paddling.
You already have what it takes to build something better. You just need to decide that today is the day you begin.
“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”
Alan Cohen
Try out this tool to help you identify what’s important to you in your job and help clarify your next steps.
For further inspiration on moving forward in uncertainty and taking small meaningful steps, you may enjoy Anne‑Laure Le Cunff’s “Tiny Experiments” talk, which offers practical strategies for testing new ideas in your career without waiting for the perfect moment. Anne‑Laure explains how embracing uncertainty and running “tiny experiments” can help you move forward when you feel stuck.
