What to Do When Work Isn’t Working: Navigating Career Frustrations and Finding Purpose

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Feeling stuck in your career? Here are 3 signs that work might not be working for you: stalled career progression, misalignment with personal values, and lack of motivation. Explore ways to realign your goals with Wave's personalized coaching.

Work can be a source of fulfillment and pride, but what happens when it stops working for you? If you’ve found yourself dreading Monday mornings, feeling unmotivated, or constantly questioning your career progression, you’re not alone. Many professionals are quietly grappling with dissatisfaction, unsure how to move forward. Whether it’s feeling unrecognized, struggling with stalled career development, or facing a misalignment between your values and your job, these issues can leave you feeling stuck.

Recently, cultural shifts like quiet quitting and the great resignation have put a spotlight on how common these struggles are. Quiet quitting—doing only the bare minimum at work—has become a silent response to jobs that feel unrewarding. Meanwhile, the great resignation saw millions of employees quitting to find careers that better align with their values. Both trends highlight the need for a deeper connection between your work and personal goals.

But what should you do when work isn’t working? First, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s okay to feel this way. Then, it’s time to take action. Instead of resigning yourself to quiet quitting or walking away, career coaching offers a proactive way to regain control of your professional life. Through career coaching, you can realign your goals, rediscover your motivation, and chart a path forward.

At Wave, we offer tailored career coaching to help you take charge of your situation. Our coaches help you define your career values, explore new career options, and build habits that support your personal and professional growth. Whether you're feeling stuck or ready for a change, Wave’s personalized coaching can guide you toward a more fulfilling career and a better work-life balance.

The Cultural Context – Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation

In recent years, the workplace has seen major cultural shifts, with employees across industries reevaluating their relationship with work. Again, two trends have emerged that reflect this growing discontent: quiet quitting and the great resignation. Both phenomena have sparked widespread conversation about what happens when work is no longer fulfilling, offering valuable insights into why so many people feel stuck in their jobs.

So What is Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting might feel like a solution, but it doesn't lead to true fulfillment. Let Wave help you find a more meaningful way forward through personalized career coaching.

Quiet quitting is a term used to describe the act of doing only what is required at work—no more, no less. It’s not about leaving your job, but rather disengaging from the extra effort that many employees previously put in. While quiet quitting can seem like a way to maintain work-life balance, it often stems from feeling undervalued, overworked, or frustrated with a lack of career progression. Employees who quietly quit may still show up to work, but they’ve mentally checked out, having lost their motivation and passion for their role. This disengagement can negatively impact both personal job satisfaction and overall productivity.

What is the Great Resignation?

The great resignation refers to the mass exodus of employees from their jobs that started in 2021. Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers quit in search of better opportunities, whether that meant higher pay, better work environments, or more meaningful work. This movement may have been driven by a collective realization that life is too short to stay in unfulfilling roles. Employees began to prioritize their mental health and career values, seeking work that aligned more closely with their personal goals.

What These Trends Tell Us

Both quiet quitting and the great resignation highlight a growing awareness that work should offer more than just a paycheck. Employees today are seeking purpose, balance, and alignment between their careers and personal values. If you find yourself resonating with either of these trends, it may be time to explore how career coaching can help you regain motivation, create goals, and align your work with your values.

Signs Work Isn’t Working for You

It’s easy to feel lost when your job no longer brings the fulfillment it once did. But how do you know when it’s more than just a rough patch? Recognizing the signs that work isn’t working for you is the first step toward reclaiming control over your career. Whether it’s feeling unappreciated, a lack of career progression, or daily burnout, these red flags can indicate that it’s time for a change. Here are some common signs that suggest your job may no longer be serving you.

1. Lack of Recognition or Career Progression

One of the most frustrating experiences in any job is feeling like your hard work goes unnoticed. If you’ve been giving your best effort but aren’t seeing promotions, raises, or even acknowledgment, it’s easy to feel demotivated. A lack of recognition can lead to disengagement, which is often a precursor to quiet quitting. Similarly, if your career progression has stalled—without opportunities for growth, new challenges, or development—you might feel stuck in place, which can deeply affect your overall job satisfaction.

2. Misalignment with Personal Values

Over time, you may find that the company’s goals or culture no longer align with your personal values. This misalignment can create internal conflict, making it hard to stay motivated. Your career should reflect your values and give you a sense of purpose. If it doesn’t, that disconnect can lead to dissatisfaction and burnout, signaling that it’s time to re-evaluate your career path.

3. Burnout and Emotional Exhaustion

If you’re constantly feeling drained, overwhelmed, or emotionally exhausted by your work, it’s a clear sign that something is wrong. Burnout isn’t just about working long hours—it’s about the mental toll that work takes on you. When your job feels like an unending cycle of stress and frustration, it can impact your physical and mental well-being, pushing you further away from your career goals.

4. Lack of Motivation and Engagement

When you no longer feel excited or motivated to tackle new projects, it’s a sign that your job may not be fulfilling you. Low engagement often results from a lack of personal growth, recognition, or connection to your work’s impact. If you’re just going through the motions, it might be time to consider how career coaching can help reignite your passion and set you on a more fulfilling path.

What to Do When Work Isn’t Working

Reclaim your career in 3 steps: define your values, have the hard conversations, and make moves that align with your goals. Let Wave’s coaching guide you through the process.

Recognizing that your job no longer works for you is only the first step. The next—and often more challenging—step is figuring out what to do about it. Whether you’re feeling stuck in your career or disconnected from your work, there are concrete actions you can take to regain control. Here are four key steps you can follow to create a more fulfilling and aligned career path.

1. Define Your Career Values with a Coach

Before making any decisions, it’s important to clarify what truly matters to you in your work. Your career values—the principles and ideals that guide your professional life—should align with your role. If your job feels unfulfilling, it may be because your values and your work no longer match. Wave’s coaches specialize in helping you define these values. By working with a coach, you can gain a clearer sense of what drives you, such as creativity, flexibility, or making an impact. Defining your values with the guidance of a coach will help you determine whether you need to adjust your current role, seek new opportunities, or set new professional goals.

2. Set New Career Goals

Once you’ve identified your values, the next step is setting new career goals that align with them. This is where Wave’s career coaching can be invaluable. Coaches will work with you to break down your goals into manageable, actionable steps and provide strategies for achieving them. Whether it’s aiming for a promotion, exploring a new industry, or improving your work-life balance, setting clear goals is essential to building a career that fits your values and aspirations.

3. Find Motivation and Purpose

Reigniting your passion for work requires reconnecting with your sense of purpose. Ask yourself: why did you start in this career? What impact do you want to make? Sometimes, a shift in perspective can help you rediscover your motivation. Wave coaches can guide you through personalized exercises and reflection to help you find new purpose in your work and align your daily tasks with bigger-picture goals.

4. Have Tough Conversations

If you feel unrecognized or stagnant, it may be time to have difficult conversations with your manager or employer. A Wave coach can help you prepare for these discussions, giving you the tools to express your concerns about career progression, recognition, or workload effectively. These conversations can open up opportunities for growth and make your current role more fulfilling.

Stuck between quiet quitting and career coaching? Shift from feeling unmotivated and unappreciated to setting clear goals and finding motivation with Wave’s career coaching.

How Wave Coaching Can Help

When work isn’t working for you, it’s easy to feel stuck or overwhelmed, unsure of the next steps. This is where career coaching can make all the difference. At Wave, our personalized coaching approach helps you identify your challenges, set actionable goals, and create a clear path forward. Whether you're struggling with motivation, burnout, or career progression, Wave coaches are equipped with the tools and expertise to guide you through each phase of your career journey.

1. Personalized Support Tailored to Your Needs

Realizing work isn’t working is just the beginning. The next step? Finding the right support. Let Wave’s coaching guide you toward positive change and career fulfillment.

Wave coaches provide one-on-one, tailored support to help you navigate specific challenges in your professional life. If you’re unsure about your career direction or feeling disconnected from your work, our coaches work with you to explore new career options, define your career values, and set goals that align with your personal and professional aspirations. By taking the time to understand what drives you, a Wave coach can help you rebuild a meaningful connection to your career.

2. Real-Time, Personalized Content

One of the unique aspects of Wave’s approach to coaching is our use of real-time, personalized content. After taking a comprehensive assessment within the Wave app, you’ll receive customized exercises, reflections, and actionable tips to address your specific needs. Whether it’s practicing mindfulness to combat burnout, learning new communication strategies for tough conversations at work, or developing habits that support long-term career progression, Wave delivers the tools you need, when you need them.

3. Evidence-Based Approaches for Lasting Change

Wave coaches use evidence-based practices, such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness strategies, to help you achieve your goals. These methods are proven to improve motivation, manage stress, and foster emotional resilience, enabling you to make lasting changes in your professional life. Whether you're dealing with burnout, feeling unrecognized, or unsure about your next career move, our coaches offer practical, science-backed techniques to guide you.

4. Creating Sustainable Career Habits

Beyond immediate support, Wave coaching focuses on helping you build sustainable habits that promote long-term success. Our coaches work with you to develop routines that fit your lifestyle and career goals. From daily reflection exercises to strategies for maintaining work-life balance, Wave ensures that the progress you make is sustainable, even after your coaching sessions are over.

Career coaching with Wave helps you assess your routines, find balance, and align your values with your career. Take the next step in your professional journey with personalized support.

Creating Long-Term Work-Life Balance

Achieving a healthy work-life balance can feel like an impossible task, especially when your job is a major source of stress or dissatisfaction. However, creating sustainable routines and habits that support your professional and personal well-being is essential for long-term success and happiness. At Wave, we understand that work-life balance isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why our coaching focuses on helping you develop habits that align with your goals and lifestyle, ensuring that the balance you create is both achievable and sustainable.

1. Establishing Career Habits That Last

Building long-term career habits starts with small, consistent actions. Wave coaches guide you through creating daily and weekly routines that enhance productivity without sacrificing personal time. Whether it’s implementing time management strategies, setting boundaries at work, or finding new ways to manage stress, Wave coaches help you build habits that are both effective and sustainable. These practices not only boost your career progression but also prevent burnout by ensuring you have time for yourself outside of work.

2. Maintaining Motivation Over Time

Staying motivated in your career is crucial to maintaining both performance and well-being. However, many employees find that their motivation decreases over time, especially when faced with repetitive tasks or a lack of recognition. Wave’s personalized coaching addresses these challenges by helping you tap into your internal motivators—whether it’s career progression, personal growth, or the pursuit of work that aligns with your values. Coaches provide strategies to keep you engaged, inspired, and aligned with your long-term career goals.

3. Balancing Work and Personal Life

Wave’s holistic approach to career coaching includes helping you find the right balance between your work and personal life. By assessing your current routines and identifying areas where you may feel overwhelmed, our coaches can suggest practical adjustments. Whether it’s delegating tasks at work, setting clearer boundaries, or prioritizing self-care, Wave coaching ensures that you’re taking care of your personal well-being while advancing your professional goals.

Imagine actually enjoying your job. Wave’s career coaching can help make that a reality by aligning your work with your values and aspirations.

Take Action Today

If you’re feeling stuck, unmotivated, or disconnected from your work, it’s time to take action. Recognizing that work isn’t working for you is the first step toward positive change, but the next step is finding the right support to guide you. Wave’s personalized career coaching provides the tools and insights you need to regain control of your career, rediscover your motivation, and align your professional life with your values and goals.

Wave coaches are here to help you create lasting change, whether you’re looking to overcome burnout, reignite your passion, or achieve career progression. Through evidence-based methods and real-time personalized content, Wave offers a unique blend of support that fits into your life seamlessly. Don’t wait for things to improve on their own—take charge of your career and mental well-being today.

Ready to take the next step? Download the Wave app today to start your journey toward a more fulfilling career. In the app you can schedule a session with a Wave coach to get personalized guidance tailored to your needs. Let Wave help you turn career challenges into opportunities for growth and success.