Passion in Your Career

A vacation won't fix your burnout. The time away might help you feel more well rested, creative, and perhaps even a little guilty for temporarily placing your responsibilities on other people... But it won't fix what burned you out in the first place: a lack of clarity about your purpose, your impact, pressure to achieve unobtainable goals, and conflicts with coworkers. The first time I experienced burnout in my career, I gritted through it in silence; afraid about what would happen if I told anyone I was getting the Sunday scaries every night of the week. When I had nobody to guide me through it, I turned to Google and asked for help. Here's what I journaled down from my experience that I share with mentees who are pushing through burnout: Change what you can, nibble on the giant elephant you can't scarf down. Here are a few strategies that have been helpful for me: I learned that I suddenly felt more excitement for work when I was freed up to explore little curiosities. Take your current priorities to your boss, share passions with them that you'd like to explore more of. You don't have to tell them you're feeling any type of way, you could just ask them for a few hours a month to explore an are of the business that fascinates you: "I'd love to spend a few hours a week [working on X, or getting to know what X team does]." If you're paralyzed by a large task ahead of you, it's a sign you haven't set realistic goals and thought through each step of what you need to achieve. When you complete each step, those victories can motive you to keep going. Soon you'll look back at how far you've come. If your current company environment is misaligned with your values, can you seek out potential opportunities to build connections and learn new perspectives from new mentors? When you believe there’s always something you can adjust to reignite your enthusiasm, your career becomes a far more intriguing project to master.

MYTH: “Follow your passion… you’ll be successful and it will never feel like work!” When I speak to my 3 teenage kids, or college students, or frankly, anyone searching for their purpose in work, my advice is the same. To find great success in your work, make sure all 3 of these factors are true: 1. You love doing what you do. 2. You’re naturally really good at it. 3. People value it enough to pay you for it. You must have ALL THREE. My favorite “passion” is playing basketball and I’m also naturally good at it. But I’m not good enough for anyone to pay me to do it (wish I was!). If you’re a great accountant and people will pay you for your tax work, but you dread the work, that’s not “success.” Gotta have ALL THREE. I recommend you go through what you love to do first, then see what you’re also great at, and explore what part of that work would people pay for and value the most! Even within your current job or industry, you could go deeper on these 3 and become more valuable by honing in more for your employer or your clients. My genuine hope for you is that you land in a career spot where you’ve got ALL THREE. Better for you and better for us.

They say, "Follow your passion," but is that always the best advice? 🤔 I've learned that blindly chasing passion can sometimes lead us astray. Here's why: To achieve big goals, it takes more than just love for what you do. You need the skills, knowledge, and a solid plan to turn that passion into a viable career or business. I've seen people quit stable jobs to chase a dream, only to struggle and give up when reality hits. They had the drive but not the roadmap. In fighter squadrons we refer to this as all thrust and no vector. It's about combining what lights you up with a clear "why" and a thoughtful strategy. Ask yourself: • What specific skills do I bring to the table? • Is there a real demand for what I want to offer? • What problem am I solving, or value am I adding? • Do I have a network and support system to lean on? • What's my plan to bridge any gaps in skills or resources? Pursuing your passion is admirable. But to succeed, you need more than enthusiasm. You need to be intentional and strategic and surround yourself with the right people and tools. Passion will fuel you, but purpose and planning will guide you. Combine them, and you'll be unstoppable. ✌️ Agree / Disagree? Let me know in the comments 👇 ------------------------ Hi, I'm Michelle. I'm a former fighter pilot turned speaker, author, and coach. If you found this helpful, consider reposting ♻️ and follow me for more content like this.

It was sobering when I realized early on that so many of the successful people I met actually didn’t like their careers. Here's a scenario that plays out far too often... You land on a career path, you excel at your job, and promotions and raises follow. On paper, everything looks great. But you're not happy. And worse, you feel guilty for even complaining. After all, you're successful, right? But something's missing... You start to wonder if the "right job" even exists for you. And the thought of starting over is daunting. Then it hits you: You've had a career of good jobs, but not the RIGHT jobs. This is the trap many professionals fall into. Since you've never truly defined what you want, you've simply chosen from the options presented to you. This approach may have brought you success, but not fulfillment. And the moment you realize this is your situation, it's time to make a change. Remember, it's NEVER too late. I've seen clients of all ages successfully pivot their careers. You CAN find a job that's both good AND right for you. Don't settle for less. Have you ever felt this way about your career? PS - If you're feeling ready to take action, follow Job Shopping strategies. I'll link a free class in the comments. #jobinterviews #career #jobseekers

7 Lessons on Sustaining Passion and Purpose at Work 🔥 One of my favorite industries to study passion in is healthcare. Few other fields put human care and impact so visibly at the center of daily work. Healthcare professionals literally see the difference they make every day in their patients’ lives. That direct connection to impact is inspiring—and, honestly, something I often find myself craving in my own work as a researcher. But healthcare is, unfortunately, also one of the clearest examples of the downsides of passion. The same deep sense of purpose that draws so many into the field can, over time, make them vulnerable to burnout, exploitation, and disillusionment. --- Passion, if not sustained wisely, can fade, or even become destructive. --- I’m often asked: What strategies can help people maintain their motivation, passion, and sense of purpose over the long term? Based on my own and others’ research, here are a few key practices worth highlighting: 🌟 1) Anchor to Impact Regularly reflect on the people who benefit from your work. Patient stories or outcomes reinforce why the work matters and help renew motivation. [1] 🤝 2) Rely on the Team Supportive peers, mentors, and healthy team cultures buffer stress and prevent isolation. Passion spreads best in environments where energy is shared, not forced. [2] 📚 3) Keep Growing Continuous learning through new skills, challenges, or projects fuels progress and sustains engagement over time. [3] 🧭 4) Know Your Coping Style When facing setbacks, those who view their work as a calling may channel “hot” pain into renewed passion, while others—who see their work more as a job—recharge best by stepping away and finding distraction outside of work. Knowing which camp you fall into helps you cope more effectively. [ongoing research] ⚖️ 5) Manage Passion’s Costs A surge of passion can feel energizing and effortless, but it often leads to exhaustion the next day. Always remember that passion can make you overconfident. [4] Self-regulation practices help balance the highs and lows. [5] 🔥 6) Moderate Passion Don’t try to maximize passion—try to sustain it. Too much passion can hurt performance and increase burnout risk. The goal is a steady flame, not constant fireworks. [ongoing research] 🌙 7) Detach to Recharge Two decades of research show that psychological detachment from work—“switching off”—is one of the healthiest things you can do after hours. [6] Create rituals that help you mentally leave work behind. Even your commute, often seen as a nuisance, can actually serve this purpose. [7]

Ever have that moment where you look up from your laptop and think, This is not what I signed up for. You’ve had your head down, working hard, just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Then you stop. Blink. And start saying thinking: How did I end up here? This isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Is this as good as it gets? Is this even what I want? I don’t have any other options. I’ve been there for sure. That line of thinking can make you feel powerless and trapped. Which often leads to not making any changes. To burnout, dread, anxiety, and overwhelm. You end up abdicating your autonomy to your job. There are so many ways you can start making small shifts that add up to a completely different day-to-day emotional experience. Change in the right direction. Some ideas: 1️⃣ Reconnect with your values and goals: Take some time to reflect on what's important to you and what you hope to achieve in your career. It may not be the same as it was when you started out. Once you’ve done that, what needs to change to get in alignment with those values and goals? Start making changes one by one. 2️⃣ Focus on what you can control: It's easy to feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the things that are outside of your control, such as organizational policies and politics, supervisors, colleagues, clients, trends in your industry, or the job market. Instead of focusing on these external factors, focus on the things that you can control, such as your own mindset, work habits, and actions. 3️⃣ Identify areas for growth: It’s possible that you aren’t being challenged enough or that your professional growth has stalled or that you are bored with what you are currently doing. Where can you add or take advantage of some opportunities for growth and development? 4️⃣ Build in time for rest: It’s hard to get unstuck when you are going full speed all. the. time. Start building in some intentional slow downs. Create the space you need to assess your life. 5️⃣ Build relationships and community: When we are overworking, we neglect our need for human connection. Where can you build in more meaningful connection? 6️⃣ Ask yourself this → If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current job, what would it be? Then, answer this → How can I make that happen without a magic wand? 7️⃣ Get coached. I know what it is like to look up and feel lost about where you are and how you got there. Getting coached helped me make significant changes to the way my life looked and felt (and those tools are still helping me do that every single day). ❔How are you feeling about your job and your life right now?

Yesterday, I mentioned that when a plane is just 1° off course, it will land in an entirely different destination than where the pilot intended. The flipside is that by making small 1° adjustments, we can reroute the plane that is our law career to our desired destination. If you feel dissatisfied in your career or on the verge of burnout, here are some 1° adjustments to consider over the next week: - Pay attention throughout the workday to when you feel the most engaged in your work. - Highlight any instances of flow or full absorption in your work. - Write down what you are doing during these times. - Notice if there are certain subjects that capture your attention. - Notice if there are certain activities that energize you. - Pay attention to when you feel disengaged, when you have to push or force yourself to do certain tasks. - Write down what you are doing during these times. Look at your list at the end of the week and notice any trends or patterns. This is the first step in designing your job to include more flow and engagement and less of what drains you.  The more we experience engagement and flow in our work, the more resilient we are to burnout, even when we have a large workload. #jobcrafting #womenattorneys #flow

"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?" That's the title of a talk I’ve delivered to thousands of accomplished professionals. I'm not going to lie... it's exceptionally powerful to be in person... seeing heads nod and hear voices audibly agreeing as you describe the pain they've been experiencing. It resonates deeply with those who have: • Achieved "success" by all conventional standards • Consistently met and exceeded their goals • Seemingly attained more than enough Yet, many find themselves: • Feeling profoundly unfulfilled • Disconnected, often battling a sense of emptiness despite their apparent success • Continuing to chase "one more" only to be left feeling empty after achieving the goal they thought would change everything. • Hesitant to voice their discontent, feeling they have no right to complain Sound familiar? You’ve reached this point by believing that next milestone would lead to a state of being: • Content • Happy • Fulfilled However, as you stand atop your achievements, you find yourself questioning, "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?" Some may think, "𝘐 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳... 𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘵. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨." I'm here to challenge you to think boldly: Your track record proves you can conquer any goal. What happens when you pursue a goal that truly excites you? It's clear that something has to change... Whether it’s a W2 role that's more on your terms, starting something new or some point in between... the world is ready for (and needs) more of your expertise. • With non-competes becoming a thing of the past, what do you want to create? • You have easier access to the audience (employers, clients and customers) you desire. How do you want to help them? • Is traditional retirement really your end game? • Do you envision something on your own terms that generates income and leaves you feeling more fulfilled? Instead of viewing achievement as a final destination... let's approach your goals as starting points. Define life on your own terms and work backwards from there. Strive not for work-life balance, but for true balance. It's time to re-define exactly what success looks like for you... and make it a reality. ---------------- You've worked too hard and too long not to... do the work you want the way you want with the people you want Let's create that, together.

Think that landing a better-paying job and an impressive title will bring you joy? Well, think again. 👇👇 Let's get one thing straight upfront: there's absolutely nothing wrong with chasing a better title and a higher-paying job. In fact, knowing your worth, ensuring you're being valued, and not being underpaid is essential. However, if you believe that landing a higher salary and a fancier title is the ultimate solution to making you happier, it's time for a reality check. Over the years, I've been on a journey in search of the perfect career. For decades, I was obsessed with finding that glamorous lifestyle, the one with a fancy job title and a window office that gleamed with success. I even created my own job titles and personal business plans to the leadership team to show my worth. I believed that the external trappings of my career defined my worth. Little did I know, I was missing the most vital lesson. You see, our career is like a house. We may switch jobs or upgrade from one to another, and as we do, our metaphorical house may indeed get bigger and fancier on the outside. It's a reflection of our success in the eyes of the world. But, as I've learned, appearances can be deceiving. The true magic of our career house lies within, just as the true essence of a home lies in running water and electricity. For our career, it's our mental health, fulfillment, and sense of purpose that serve as these vital utilities. Without them, our grand house, filled with flashy titles and posh offices, becomes empty and devoid of meaning. It doesn't matter how pretty your career house is if you can't manage your internal state. Just like a mansion without running water and electricity, you're merely living in an empty house. I've been there, chasing after those external symbols of success, only to find myself feeling lost and unfulfilled within. The turning point came just a few years ago, during my startup journey with DumplingDudez, I realized that the secret to a truly fulfilling career lay in nurturing my inner self. Instead of focusing solely on the external facade, I began to invest in my mental health, seek genuine fulfillment, and align my work with my values. As I did, the house of my career transformed. Today, while my career house may not “look” as impressive on the outside, but it's thriving on the inside. I've discovered that the true measure of success is the harmony between the exterior and the interior. It's the balance between the fancy office and inner peace, between the job title and the fulfillment of purpose. So, if you're on a quest for that perfect career house, remember that it's what's inside that counts the most. Prioritize your mental health, fulfillment, and meaning in your work, and you'll find that the house of your career becomes a true home, a place where you can thrive and be truly happy." Cheers, Chih #entrepreneurship #lifelessons #storytelling #redefiningsuccess #mentalhealth #mindset

You've been lied to. Gurus claim pursuing your passion leads to freedom... But scientists have discovered something shocking about our brains: Welcome to the Passion Paradox. For 15 years as a CEO, I lived this paradox firsthand. I raised $20M in VC funding and built a 100+ person company. On paper? Success. Inside? I was trapped in a neurochemical cycle that mirrored addiction. Neuroscience reveals passion exists in two forms: • Harmonious: intrinsically motivated, aligned with values • Obsessive: externally driven, tied to validation-seeking Most "follow your passion" advice completely ignores this crucial distinction. The key is knowing the root of your passion: Inside-out drives endure. Outside-in can burn you out. Learn to tell the difference - diagnose it, understand it, and fuel what truly lasts. Obsessive passion creates diminishing returns. Each achievement provides less satisfaction than the last. So you push for bigger goals, more validation, higher stakes. The goalposts keep moving while fulfillment keeps shrinking. My self-worth became entangled with metrics: Company size. Funding rounds. Revenue growth. I'd celebrate wins for about 5 minutes before fixating on the next target. When your identity merges with your work, you become dangerously vulnerable. Setbacks aren't just professional challenges – they're existential crises. Criticism isn't feedback – it's a personal attack. I've coached founders who lost everything when their companies failed. Not just financially, but emotionally and psychologically. Their entire sense of self collapsed with their startups. The solution isn't abandoning passion, but transforming how we engage with it: 1. Diversify your identity beyond work When your sense of self includes relationships, creativity, learning, and service, no single failure can destroy you. Your worth isn't tied to outcomes, but to the fullness of your humanity. 2. Focus on process over outcomes Sustainable passion comes from loving the day-to-day work—not just the achievements. Find joy in the craft itself, independent of external validation. 3. Create boundaries to protect your passion Not everything you love should become monetized. Some passions serve you better as sacred spaces free from market pressures. The most fulfilled leaders have mastered this balance. They've built successful businesses without sacrificing their humanity. They've found purpose that transcends validation. They've discovered that true freedom doesn't come from chasing passion. If you're a founder struggling with the dopamine paradox of passion... You're not alone.