Determining your career path is confusing. You might have some ideas about your strengths and sources of satisfaction. But you’re not sure where to start or what, exactly, you should do. You explore some options, compare yourself to others, and feel behind. It’s a lonely place to be.

This pattern is normal and common. For example, I have a twenty-eight-year-old client who loves interacting with people, helping them grow and achieve their goals. She is a confident communicator and skilled at social interactions. This set of capabilities feels vague. She is lost.

To add to her distress, she has detested her first couple of jobs out of college. This led to a deep depression mixed with anxiety. She fears she will never find career satisfaction.

This is common—in fact, I call it the twenty-six-year-old crisis. You might be twenty-four or fifty-two. It does not matter. This is a deeply troubling dilemma, leaving you wondering if you’ll ever find work you enjoy and are good at.

Take these steps to stop swirling:

Step One: Find an Amazing Listener

Sit down with someone who is trained to draw out your brilliance. Let them be your thought partner. This support will lower your anxiety enough for you to proceed through a well-constructed career discovery process.



Step Two: Learn More About Yourself

Clarify what matters most to you. Understand what activities give you energy. Understand your natural-born temperament. Identify occupations that interest you. A clear picture of who you are and what career fields align with you will emerge.

Your light bulb moment will be both subtle and maddening. It might be a direction you considered and discarded. Or it could be something you did not even know existed. There will be a click, an alignment, a feeling of hope that gives you the confidence to move forward. You can get unstuck—but you can’t do it staring at the wall in your living room. Take action, you deserve to find a future you can be proud of.