When Your Career Doesn’t Love You Anymore

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“Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” – Lady Gaga

We have all read that famous quote from Lady Gaga, and I am sure that we have all been uplifted during a bad breakup because of it. Following your dreams is an important aspect of leading a happy life, but I have always disagreed with the idea that “your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” I think that it can. And that any part of our lives can. You can wake up one day and realize that this isn’t the path that you want to be on. This isn’t the way you wanted your life to go. Maybe you have spent half of your life working towards everything you have right now, then one day you wake up and realize it just isn’t for you.

It’s okay.

Some days, we wake up and realize that we need a change. We finally see that our heart just isn’t in it anymore. We have just been living a routine for so long that the days begin to blur together and that the night and the day have almost become one.

You don’t have to live like this forever.

Sometimes life brings us these changes in unexpected ways. Maybe the job that’s been bringing us down, but we are too afraid to admit it, lets us go. Maybe the one place you thought you would never have to leave leaves you. We can sit and plan out our lives as much as we want to, but no one can control the way things actually play out.

Maybe you were supposed to be married right now and working at your dream job. Maybe you were supposed to have all of your debt paid off and finally be able to let go and relax. But maybe you haven’t accomplished any of those things, and maybe that is 100% okay.

Whether the changes come after a moment of deep self-reflection or they accost you the moment you are finally starting to feel comfortable in your life, just know that everything happens for a reason. Yes, you might be pouring your heart and soul into the career that you have always dreamt of, but when was the last time you took a step back and asked yourself, “Am I actually happy?”

Sometimes, I think it becomes too easy to become robotic in our lives. Through our carefully orchestrated routines, we are often unable to notice our passion slipping out of the very fingertips from which it was born. Don’t be afraid to face this truth. If you never face it, you could be stuck living a life you don’t even recognize. It’s okay to let go of the dreams you are too afraid to admit no longer serve you. Choosing a direction in life is important, but so is knowing when it’s time to explore a new path. There are endless opportunities for you to explore, so why would you tell yourself you have to be stuck in your current one?

Change is truly terrifying, but sometimes, we need the fear to push us through our uncertainty. Always follow your dreams, but please remember to always check in with yourself and make sure that what you are following is still your dream.