20/01/2026
๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ด ๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐น๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟโฆ ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐.
In 2018, I was quietly falling behind.
While my colleagues were getting promoted,
getting new opportunities,
getting noticed and respected โ
I was invisible.
Every day looked the same.
Same office.
Same reports.
Same instructions.
No growth.
No purpose.
And the worst part?
I was ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐๐, ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ to admit it.
That frustration slowly turned into stress.
Stress turned into depression.
Every evening, I came home angry.
I shouted at my wife.
I lost patience with my kids.
I overate.
I drank more than I should.
I sat in front of the TV, numb.
I gained weight.
I wasnโt living.
I was just ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ โ
convinced that my career was already over.
One day, I finally gathered the courage to ask my boss:
โ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ?
โ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐?
โ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐?
He looked at me, pausedโฆ and then asked me a few questions of his own.
Those questions changed my life.
Between ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ โ
from an ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฉ๐ฃ โ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
Not because my boss changed.
But because ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ.
My thinking changed.
My ownership changed.
My working style changed.
Even today, when I think about that conversation,
I still get goosebumps.
Now, whenever I meet someone unhappy, stressed, or burned out at work,
I feel like asking them the same three questions:
1๏ธโฃ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ญ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ โ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐น๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ?
2๏ธโฃ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ?
3๏ธโฃ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ธ ๐๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐, ๐๐ผ๐๐ป ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐โ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐?
Hereโs a hard truth I learned the painful way:
Most of us work only as per our job description.
We stay inside safe boundaries.
We work 10+ hours โ
but on ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น, ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น, ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
instead of work that ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ.
And then we blame:
The manager.
The company.
The culture.
The policies.
Yes โ theyโre not perfect.
But tell me honestlyโฆ
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ?
If you feel stuck, disengaged, or undervalued at work, pause and reflect:
๐ If you donโt have answers to those three questions โ
work on yourself. (A good career coach can accelerate this journey.)
๐ If you have answers but still feel unseen โ
have a transparent conversation with your manager and HR.
๐ And if nothing changes โ
๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป.
Life is too short to spend it in places where you are not valued.
06/10/2025