MOTIVATION: A NEW Framework for Your Career.

You're stuck in a career that feels like it's going nowhere. When you started in your job, it felt like the perfect stepping stone to success. A clear ladder to climb. But now? You're staring at the same desk, the same tasks, and the same routine you've been in for years. You thought you'd have it all figured out by now. More money. More purpose. More growth. Instead, you feel stagnant. And the idea of making a change feels overwhelming–maybe even impossible. If we're honest, isn't there a part of you that wonders if it's too late? That little voice whispering:

"What if this is as good as it gets?"

But there's one thing no one tells you.

In today's Monday Motivation, I'm going to help you reframe how you think about your career–because the very thing holding you back is the limiting beliefs about your current career.

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Topics:

Escape the 9 to 5 

Escape the 9-5 

Career Coach 

Career Advice 

Career Guidance 

Career Transition 

Career Change 

Next Step Careers Limited

Auckland Wellington Christchurch New Zealand

Episode Transcript

Shure MV7-1 (00:00):
You're stuck in a career that feels like it's going nowhere.

(00:03):
When you started in your job, it felt likethe perfect stepping stone to success.
A clear ladder to climb.
But now?
You're staring at the same desk,the same tasks, and the same
routine you've been in for years.
all figured out by now.

(00:24):
More money?
More purpose.
More growth.
Instead, you feel stagnant.
And the idea of making achange feels overwhelming.
Maybe even impossible.
And if we're honest, isn't there a partof you that wonders if it's too late?
That little voice whispering, Whatif this is as good as it gets?

(00:50):
But there's one thing no one tells you.
In today's Monday Motivation, I'mgoing to help you reframe how
you think about your career.
Because the very thing holdingyou back is the limiting beliefs
about your current career.
You're a working professionalstuck in a nine to five job.

(01:13):
You'd like to change, butweren't you supposed to be on
this career ladder for life?
You've been led to believe thepath to success is to continue
to grow in your current career.
But what if that's wrong?
What if the very thing holding youback in your career is the limiting

(01:34):
beliefs about your current one?
I'm career coach Dr Steve Oehle, hostand creator of Escape The Nights 5.
I help other working professionals likeyou take the next steps in their career
and design a career that works for them.
This week's quote for motivation?
Careers grow on curves,not straight lines.

(01:57):
We're conditioned to thinkof a career as a ladder.
Each step neatly following thelast, leading us to the top.
But the truth?
Great careers look morelike a squiggly line.
They twist, they turn, they double back.
And sometimes they take yousomewhere entirely unexpected.

(02:20):
This might sound messy, buthere's the beauty of it.
Each curve is an opportunity for growth.
Maybe you've changed jobs a few timesand feel like you're falling behind.
Or maybe you've stayed in one role forso long that any change feels terrifying.
Either way, this idea of a straightline career is keeping you stuck.

(02:45):
Think of some of the mostsuccessful people you know.
Do they take the perfectly linearpath to get to where they are now?
Probably not.
Most of them faced setbacks,detours, and moments of uncertainty.
But instead of fighting thecurve, they embraced it.
Even for people who are deemed asuccess within one career path, chances

(03:10):
are they dabbled in different things,did a different job in their junior
career, or learned something out ofthe box in an overseas internship.
What about you?
You're worried that every careermove you make has to be the one.
You feel paralysed by the fearof stepping off the right path.

(03:33):
You're exhausted by the idea thatyour career isn't progressing
fast enough, or at all.
If you stay stuck in thismindset, what happens?
Five years from now, you might still be inthe same job, asking the same questions.
This fear of failure might keepyou from trying anything at all.

(03:53):
an inaction is the greatest risk of all.
So how do you embrace thecurve and start moving forward?
Here are three actionablesteps to get you started.
1.
Reflect on the past.
Look back at your career so far.
What have been your biggest wins?

(04:13):
What moments made you feel the most alive?
These aren't just randomhighlights, they're clues to what
your next curve could look like.
This is why a couple ofweeks ago the focus was on
standout moments in your life.
Your greatest successes are the cluesas to what you could do instead.

(04:34):
2.
Stop focusing on the end goal.
Instead of obsessing over a dreamjob that doesn't exist, focus on what
sort of role you want to grow into.
Spend your time and energy withpeople doing things that interest you.
Do this for long enough, andopportunities will present themselves.
For example, if you're a doctor whowants to become a journalist, you

(04:58):
might start by volunteering for thelocal paper, or starting a podcast or
blog on a topic that interests you.
Even if you never become a journalist,dabbling in other areas that interest
you may open up opportunities in your ownfield that weren't previously available.
got that experience, when an advertisedrole for an editor of a medical journal

(05:21):
comes up, you have the combined experienceof a doctor and a part time journalist to
set you apart from the other candidates.
Three.
Redefine success.
Success doesn't have tomean a title or salary.
It can mean loving what youdo, making an impact, or having

(05:43):
more control over your time.
Figure out what success lookslike for you, not for anyone else.
It's common knowledge that once youearn over a certain threshold, money
becomes irrelevant to your happiness.
We also know that getting apromotion doesn't instantly change

(06:03):
people's outlook on their life.
We know the most common regretpeople have on their deathbed
I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
So, if titles and money don'treally matter when it comes to
career happiness, what are thethings that do matter for you?

(06:25):
The career ladder is dead.
At least if you want a rewarding career.
Instead, you should be lookingat it like a jungle gym.
Swing, climb, and exploreevery opportunity.
there's even a financial benefit.
People who tend to move between rolesand not climb the ladder in their

(06:46):
own organisation, make more money.
Research indicates that externalhires often receive higher
salaries than internal candidatespromoted into similar roles.
a study by Wharton professor MatthewBidwell found that external hires are
paid 20 percent more than internalemployees in equivalent positions, But

(07:13):
treating your career as a jungle gym ismore than just switching organisations.
It's about being willing to step backor to the side to try something new.
And even if the benefits to your careermight not seem obvious at first, it
will create opportunities you neverwould have had staying within the
safe confines of your 9 to 5 job.

(07:36):
Remember, careers grow incurves, not straight lines.
Thanks for listening to Escape the 9 to 5.
I'm career coach Dr SteveO'Leary, your host, and thanks
for being part of our movement.
See you next time.