"تعجب از اینکه آیا در این مرحله از کار خود توقف کرده‌ام، استفاده مفیدی از وقت من نیست"

Dwelling on whether your career has hit a plateau is a waste of time. Instead of getting bogged down in self-doubt and endless speculation, it's better to focus on practical steps that can move you forward. If you think about it, getting stuck in the loop of worrying about your career's progress doesn’t really help you achieve anything—it just creates anxiety and can prevent you from taking action.

Let’s put this in context. Imagine you’re in your mid-30s, and you've been working at the same company for a decade. You've seen promotions come and go, and while you've had your share of small wins, the big leap seems to elude you. You start to wonder if you’ve hit a ceiling. This feeling is pretty common, especially in today’s fast-paced work environment where everyone seems to be constantly advancing or pivoting to new roles.

Take Alex's story, for example. Alex had been working as a marketing manager for seven years. He enjoyed his job but felt like he wasn’t making the progress he envisioned. He spent countless nights worrying if he’d ever move up the ladder. Instead of making him more driven, this worry paralyzed him. He started missing deadlines, dreading meetings, and his performance dipped. It wasn't the stall in his career that was the problem; it was his fixation on it.

So, what did Alex do? He shifted his focus from worrying to acting. He enrolled in a digital marketing course, started networking more actively, and sought feedback from his peers and supervisors. He set small, achievable goals for himself and celebrated those wins. Within a year, he wasn't just more satisfied with his career—he also got a promotion.

Here’s some advice: if you catch yourself spiraling into thoughts about a stalled career, redirect your energy. Start with small steps. Take a new course, seek a mentor, or even set up informational interviews to explore different roles or departments within your company. Think about what excites you in your current job and look for ways to do more of that. And remember, progress isn’t always vertical—sideways moves can open up new opportunities you hadn’t considered.

Now, let’s talk about a more relatable scenario. Picture yourself at a coffee shop with a friend. You’re venting about your job, saying how you feel stuck. Your friend listens, then asks, “So, what’s something new you’ve wanted to try at work but haven’t yet?” You think about it and realize you’ve always been interested in the company’s social media strategy but never had the chance to get involved. Your friend suggests you ask your boss if you can take on a small project in that area. It’s a simple step, but it changes your focus from worrying to doing.

In essence, the key is to convert that unproductive worry into actionable steps. Think about what you can do today, this week, or this month to bring a fresh perspective to your career. It’s all about taking control of your narrative rather than letting doubt dictate your path. So, next time you catch yourself wondering if you’ve stalled, ask yourself—what’s one thing I can do right now to change that? And then, go do it.