3 Steps to Blast Out of a Maxed Out Career

One day we all face an uncomfortable truth about our jobs:

We're maxed out.

Sometimes the door slams in our face, other times it slowly creeps up on us. It’s an uncomfortable feeling when you realize, “No matter what I do, I’m the highest my company will let me go.”

It won’t matter that you have more to offer. It won’t matter the hours you spent slaving away at that presentation or the weekends you gave up.

You’re capped.

I know. I was there.

I went from fast rising to stepping off the track. When I stepped off, I was still working long hours, but strangely coasting. I was finding pockets of fulfillment, but they were becoming fewer and far between. I stopped growing. I could have found another corporate job, but it didn't feel right.

My job might have been maxed out, but I wasn't.

Being maxed out forced me to tap my creativity and I found new meaning in the most unexpected ways.

Is your career maxed out? Take these 3 steps to blast out.

1. Make the time to do something meaningful. The operative point is "MAKE THE TIME." I never seemed to have time to do anything else but my job, so I never got around to anything more meaningful.

   I found the time by letting go of perfection. It was a huge mental shift. When I was on the rise, the extra few hours a day paid off in career advancement. Years later I had to face reality:

   Perfection wasn't paying out.

2. Refine your definition of "meaningful." You've just found more time, now where will you spend it? Take your corporate identity out of the equation and what's left? What makes you tick? When are you most passionate? What's your claim to fame?

   I'm passionate about unlocking potential. I love it when the lightbulb comes on and "I can't" becomes "I can." My claim to fame is coaching "I can" moments.

3. Hit the "RESTART" button and become a beginner. Maxing out is about your limits. Being a beginner is about your potential.

   Learn and earn your way from the bottom, up.

   Find something meaningful, but in unfamiliar territory. My role model is my friend Navin Battu who started a foundation to educate kids in India. I combined a love of writing with a passion for coaching "I can" moments and launched Evoke.pro. With no blogging experience, no social media footprint and no one to command, I was truly entry level.

   Learning is a great way to infuse passion. I found the time flying by as I learned to blog. I had "millions" of creative ideas every day. I reconnected with many of my colleagues and friends, and ramped up my networking. Soon Evoke.pro started to grow and make a difference. Suddenly, my life had new meaning and one year later I relaunched my career.

Maxing out your career doesn't mean you are maxed out.

It means you have the time, credibility and expertise to reinvest somewhere else. If you've hit this stage in your career, shift your focus from your career to your potential.

Making the most out of maxing out is the shift from limitations to limitless.

And instead of maxing out, you'll blast out.

Check out the Unlock Your Potential page for more insight and inspiration.