The 3 hidden habits killing your job satisfaction
Readtime: 2.5 minutes
Quickly before we start: Atomic Ambition will be starting again on 2nd October. You will secure early-bird pricing if you register your interest before 2nd September. Do that here now.
Now, on to today’s newsletter…
Last week I was speaking with a senior leader who told me:
“I know I’ve got a great job. The money’s good, the title is impressive… but honestly, I feel empty when I think about it.”
That feeling is more common than people realise.
But for quite a strange reason:
The habits that got you the job also make it less likely that you’ll continue to enjoy it.
Because these habits keep people in roles that no longer excite them.
Here they are, so you can avoid them:
1. When your role becomes your identity
At first, your title gives you credibility. VP. Director. Partner.
But over time, it does something else.
It stops being what you do. And it becomes who you are.
That badge of honour feels safe.
But it’s also a cage.
And it makes you ask the wrong question.
Not “What do I want next?”
But “Who would I be without this?”
2. The sunk-cost trap
You’ve invested years building expertise.
You’ve built networks, credibility, recognition.
Walking away feels like throwing it all away.
But that’s the trap.
Your experience becomes an anchor, instead of an asset.
It holds you in place.
And you convince yourself that the only option is more of the same.
Even when it no longer excites you.
3. The next-rung illusion
We think that the answer to “what’s next?” is obvious.
A more senior role.
A bigger team.
More pay.
These things are seen as progress.
But in many ways they are repetition.
If we weren’t particularly happy in the previous role, then doing the same thing on a slightly bigger scale is unlikely to bring the fulfilment we’re after.
The danger here is that the ladder that once made sense for us to climb is now leaning against the wrong wall.
The deeper truth
These habits initially appear to be strengths.
Because they are for much of our career.
Wanting that identity for ourselves, building our expertise and taking the logical next step.
These are all good things that propel us.
But that’s also why they’re so dangerous.
Because at some point they stop being strengths, and start keeping you locked in roles you don’t enjoy.
But once you spot them, everything changes.
It’s hard to unsee them and the impact they’re having on your career.
And then you can start making better decisions about what’s going to be a great next move for you.
That’s where the breakthrough lives.
In Summary
Congratulations, you now know the three professional habits that keep people stuck in roles that no longer excite them.
When your role becomes your identity, when your experience feels like an anchor, and when you climb the next rung out of habit – it’s no wonder the work stops feeling energising.
The breakthrough comes when you stop following the default path, and start defining what ambition really means for you.
On a Personal Note
When I decided to leave KPMG, it wasn’t because I couldn’t do the work anymore.
It was because the work was getting less exciting for me.
I’d achieved everything I thought I wanted – Partner title, big clients, leadership role, high pay.
But instead of feeling fulfilled, I felt increasingly empty.
I realised that the very habits that had driven my success were now the ones keeping me stuck. I knew I didn’t want more of the same for the next 10-15 years, but that if I kept following the default path, that is what I would have got.
And realising that made the decision about what to do next much easier.
One Quote to Get You Going
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
That’s all for today.
Look out for a special edition newsletter from me next week.
Mostyn
👉 P.S. Atomic Ambition – my program for successful people, 15+ years into their career, who want to break free from draining roles and get some excitement back – starts again on 2nd October.
This intake has just launched (and if the last one was anything to go by, it will fill quickly).
So, if you know you need to do something else so you can be happy and fulfilled, but aren’t sure what, this is your chance.