At a recent event, I heard a woman tell an inspiHER’ing story—one of resilience, ambition, and, ultimately, transformation.

The woman went from being a single mom on food stamps to a top executive at a biopharmaceutical company, working with high-net-worth individuals and leading their Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Impact work. She built an impressive career, sat on boards, and spoke on panels. She was driven, focused, and ambitious.

She was also exhausted.

She admitted that, in hindsight, she had heard whispers—what I call the Career Nudge—telling her that the path she was on was no longer right. But she ignored it. Like many of us, she pushed forward, attached to her identity of “success.”

Until she couldn’t anymore.

In one month, both of her daughters were hospitalized. The stress triggered her autoimmune disease, landing her in the hospital, too. That was her wake-up call.

She made drastic changes. She traveled to South America and got still. She learned Yoga. She bought a farm. Now, she is the CEO of a company that creatively deploys capital to amplify the social impact for her clients. She mainly does this from her farm where she is also chasing field mice, woodworking, farming, listening to birds and watching the sun rise and set. AHHHHH.

The Great Career Disenchantment and Your Career Nudge

She had been a part of what I call The Great Career Disenchantment. It’s not just burnout—it’s a disenchantment with old definitions of success, old expectations and old ways of working, that has our inner wisdom sending us a Career Nudge that we ignore until we can’t anymore.

Signs that you might be suffering from Career Disenchantment and ignoring your Career Nudge include:

• Feeling exhausted.

• Being short and snippy with others.

• Having to drag yourself out of bed.

• Hearing that voice inside your head asking, Is this all there is?

• Feeling meh about things that should excite you.

And while it might feel unsettling and scary to think about defying society’s definition of success and changing your path, what if, by not listening to your Career Nudge, you are creating a career and life that is far worse? Illness. Career regret. Joyless days and crowded nights of blah, blah, blah.

It could be different.

You could feel enchanted again.

Try This: A 7-Day Experiment to begin to listen to your Career Nudge and Become Enchanted Again!

For one week, dare to stop figuring it all out. Just listen. Let things be simple. See what happens.

Step 1: Every morning journal for 10 minutes without stopping. Keep your pen moving even if you are repeating words and ideas. Respond to this question:

“Career Nudge, what have you been trying to tell me? I am ready to listen.”

Step 2: During your day, when something—anything—stands out that you “know” is a Career Nudge, write it down. Look for patterns.

Step 3: Tell me. I want to hear what shows up for you. Email me or Post on our Facebook Page.

Instead of pushing and forcing and plowing ahead doing what you have been doing, decide instead to get still and listen to your Career Nudge.

There is lots of enchanting stuff it wants to tell you.