You wake up, hit snooze (twice), drink a coffee, and mentally brace yourself for another day of meetings, deadlines, and quietly wondering:

“Is this really it?”

On paper, you have done everything right. You built a solid career. You show up. You contribute. Maybe you even get praise and promotions now and then.

But inside? There is a quiet ache. A whisper that says:

“Surely there’s more to life than this.”

Maybe you have another 10, 20, 30 or 40 years of this. 

Don’t worry, you are not ungrateful. You are just waking up to something so many of us ignore for years:

The 9 - 5 grind was never supposed to be the whole story.

When success stops feeling successful

There comes a moment, often in your 30s or 40s - hey there fellow millennials! - when the external markers of success stop being enough.

You look around and realise you have:

• The job
  
• The routine
  
• The responsibilities
  

But what you do not have is a deep sense of meaning, fulfilment or purpose. 

You can’t remember the last time you felt excited. Energised. Free.

And it is not that your life is bad. It is just... beige. Predictable. Heavy with “shoulds” and light on joy.

I have coached so many people who say the same thing:

“I should be happy. But I am not. And I do not know what to do about it.”

The truth about the grind

The 9 - 5 life has its place. It can offer structure, financial stability, especially if you have bills to pay and a family to feed. 

But if it starts to feel like a cage instead of a container, something needs to shift.

Here is what you were never taught:

• Your work is allowed to evolve as you evolve, including 180 degree career changes!
  
• You do not need to settle for survival when your soul is craving significance, there is a way to have it all.
  
• Feeling unfulfilled is not a personal flaw, it is a signal. One worth listening to.
  
  

And no, you do not have to quit everything and move to Bali tomorrow (unless you want to). But you do need to start getting curious about what “more” looks like for you.

One Client’s Turning Point

One of my clients felt stuck in the grind, had been under so much pressure in his role and when he paused to think, he didn’t realise how he ended up where he was. It was having an impact on his health, family, and performance. It was just not the right role, or company for him any more. Over the years, he “did the right thing” which turned out to be the wrong thing for him. 

After some real soul searching, and a bit of number crunching, he realised that he did not need to work in the stressful environment he found himself in. In fact, what he wanted to do more of was be around his family, so he decided to ask for a role change that was more suitable to his workload and reduced working hours. 

For others, it could be viewed as a “demotion”, “weakness” or “giving in”, but in all honesty, who cares?! You have one life, figure out what you want and make it happen for you.  

Even tiny shifts - asking different questions, setting new boundaries, giving yourself permission to want more - can change everything.

Because the moment you stop sleepwalking through your days… is the moment real life begins again.

You don’t have to have the answer - but you do need to ask better questions

If this post hits a little too close to home, take a deep breath.

You are not broken. You are like so many others out there. 

This discomfort? It is the invitation you have been waiting for. 

To explore. To reconnect. To create a life that fits you, not just your job title.

And if you do not know where to start?

Start with my Career Clarity Compass.

This simple tool will help you:

• Spot what is draining your energy
  
• Reconnect with what lights you up
  
• Begin crafting a career (and life) that feels like yours again
  
  

Because yes, there is more to life than the 9 - 5 grind.

It is all down to you, no one is going to save you. 

But you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

Always with love, 

Elsa x 

P.S. Meet my boy Remi in this weeks picture, he is 13 and living his best life. The most stress he has is when his bestie Gwynie (another GSP) gets all the room on the sofa. She is 3 and they do everything together, sometimes it is hard to know what one is the bigger princess. Remi doesn't care what other people think, and neither should you x