Good at it. Paid well. Not happy.
Last week I had a consult with a woman who has been in her career for ten years. She's good at it. She keeps getting promoted. She's making real money. And she is not happy.
She said it the way most people say it to me, almost apologizing, like she wasn't allowed to complain. Who walks away from a job that keeps paying them more?
I hear some version of this a lot, and I think many of you are not happy in your careers.
When you're struggling at work, the answer feels obvious: you leave. When you're succeeding at something you don't love, every raise makes leaving harder. Each promotion becomes one more reason to stay. After a while, you're not really choosing your career anymore. Your paycheck is choosing it for you.
At Handel Group, we'd call that a story. It usually sounds like "I'd have to start over," or "I'd be throwing away ten years," or "I can't afford a pay cut." Some of that might even be true, but most people never check. They stay, they stay unhappy, and they call it being responsible.
So here's what I asked her, and what I'd ask you:
If money wasn't making the decision, what would you be doing?
What work would you actually want to wake up for?
And what have you been telling yourself about why you can't have it?
You don't have to quit anything to answer those questions. Sometimes the answer is a different role in the same field. Sometimes it's a side project that grows. Sometimes it really is a new career, and you build a plan to get there without blowing up your life.
What doesn't work is waiting until you're miserable enough to finally move. That can take another ten years.
If this sounds like you, I'd love to talk. [Book a free consult] and we'll look at what you really want and what's in the way.
Or come work on it with Lauren Handel Zander and me in Small Group Coaching. The next group meets on Tuesdays at 11am ET, and career is a focus. There are only 2 spots left, so grab your spot now if you want it!
End 2026 Powerfully with clarity and pride.
Warmly,
Kimberly Cabot
Senior Executive Life Coach
