Maybe you know the feeling: you’ve worked hard to get where you are, but instead of feeling settled, you feel restless — like you should be doing something else, something more.
Restlessness can wear you down — or wake you up. The choice is yours. |
We’ve gathered experience, climbed ladders, checked the boxes — yet we feel the urge to shake things up.
Sometimes that energy is exciting.
Other times, it just leaves us tired.
For 15 years, I chased that restlessness from job to job.
Always sure the next one would be the one that finally fit.
The pace kept me learning, but it also kept me from sitting still long enough to grow roots.
Maybe you’ve felt that same pull; to move, change, jump ship, just to feel alive again.
Constant change kept me energized — until it burned me out.
That wall became my wake-up call.
Here’s what I discovered:
Restlessness can be redirected. |
I went from 20 jobs in 15 years to one job that lasted 15 years.
The same restless energy that once pushed me to jump from gig to gig became the fuel that powered consistency, mastery, and freedom.
Work wasn’t the only place I had to face my limits. |
That same lesson showed up in a very different way — on race day in Galveston Bay.
During the Kemah Triathlon, I literally jumped off a boat a mile from shore — the race’s signature swim start. The wind howled and the water was rough. Within minutes, I was struggling to find my rhythm. I waved down a rescue boat and climbed aboard.
For the next 45 minutes, I stayed in that boat and helped a dozen other athletes out of the water as they struggled. When we finally returned to shore, I didn’t give up. I got on my bike, rode 25 miles, and finished with a 10K run.
Sometimes the “rescue boat” is part of the race. |
Maybe you’ve had your own version of that moment — when you were in over your head and had to pause, reset, and find a new way forward.
That day reframed how I saw myself and my work.
I learned that hitting a limit isn’t failure.
It’s information.
It’s preparation for what’s next.
What if this season of restlessness is your rescue boat moment?
The pause you didn’t expect, but needed, to catch your breath, reset, and chart a better course forward.
Your next chapter doesn’t have to be another leap into the unknown.
It can be a deliberate step toward clarity and confidence.
-Mark
Take a look at your computer or phone. How many tabs do you have open? Does the number of worries, projects, and commitments you’re trying to keep in your head mirror how many mental tabs you have running?
- Which of those tabs are truly important?
- Which are just noise?
- And which could you close — literally or metaphorically — to create more clarity and breathing room?
Mark Wigginton, MS, Certified Professional Coach
Personal Coach | Midlife Guide | Next Chapter Navigator
📬 MarkW@FocusingOnResults.com
🌐 www.focusingonresults.com
🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn
P.S. If this message resonated with you, it might speak to someone else too. Forward it to a friend who’s ready for their next chapter—you never know what kind of shift a few words of encouragement can spark.
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