Feeling Stuck in Your Career? Don’t Ignore the Quiet Pull

There was a point in my life where I felt very stuck in my career.

On paper, everything was fine. I was in a job I liked, working with great people, and getting great experience.

But underneath that, there was this quiet, persistent pull back toward my true passion - psychology. 

I didn’t know what to do with that pull for a long time because it didn’t feel practical.

I had already decided, in subtle ways, that it probably wasn’t realistic, that it might not lead to a stable income, and that maybe I was romanticizing it.

And without noticing, I started filtering everything through that lens. 

I stopped paying attention to what might be possible, and started noticing everything that confirmed it probably wasn't.

What I didn't realize at the time was that I had accepted those beliefs without really questioning them.

Over time, I stopped engaging with that part of myself altogether.

Then one day, my mom and I were chatting over the holidays and she asked if I was still interested in pursuing psychology.

It completely stopped me in my tracks.

Not because I had been thinking about it constantly. But because I realized I hadn't been thinking about it at all.

Her question brought it back into view.

And suddenly, I found myself asking: should I pursue psychology or not?

What I didn't realize at the time, and what was actually keeping me stuck, was I was trying to answer a question that I couldn’t possibly answer yet.

I was trying to solve a future question with present-day information through a lens that had already been shaped by assumptions I hadn’t fully questioned.

 And there’s no amount of thinking that could have bridged that gap.

Eventually, something shifted. 

I started to question the limiting beliefs I was holding onto and I stopped trying to solve it all at once. 

Instead started asking:

What’s the smallest next step I can take?

And with that, momentum started to build.

I spoke to people already in the field.
I applied to go back to school.
I volunteered at a distress centre after work to understand what it actually felt like to sit with people in that way.
I immersed myself in books and articles.

I didn’t get into the programs I had applied to.

On the surface, it looked like a door had closed, but I knew that wasn't the end of the story. 

I stayed curious about what might come next and followed the pulls I was getting from life.

Shortly after that rejection letter, I got an amazing job opportunity to move to London, England and poured my focus into that. 

About a year later, I discovered coaching on a personal level. 

It felt like one of the biggest ‘aha’ moments of my life. I felt such a deep transformation in myself and realized I wanted to pursue coaching as a career.

I couldn't have discovered that path from the sidelines. I actually had to live it and find the answers one small step at a time.

If there's something you feel a pull towards (even if it's as vague or broad as a different career path) - I want you to start by asking yourself: 

What is the smallest next step in front of me?

You don't have to have the whole map in front of you, you just need to take the first step. 

Have a conversation with someone.

Attend a seminar.

Do a bit of research.

Read book or listen a podcast. 

Do a small stretch project at work.

Small experiments. Small steps. 

The answers will start to reveal themself. 

Ashley Marcinek is an ICF-certified executive, life and career coach who helps ambitious professionals find clarity, strengthen their self-trust and create meaningful change in how they work, lead and live.