Redefining Success: Breaking Free from Expectations to Find Your True Career Path

Picture this: you’re climbing your first career ladder, but as you're getting higher, you realise it’s propped against the wrong wall. For many young professionals, this eerie metaphor becomes reality. I know, because many of them end up sitting across from me in my career coaching practice. Trapped by societal norms and familial expectations, they often find themselves chasing inherited dreams instead of their own. The weight of these expectations, often combined with the financial safety net that their well-meaning parents provide, can feel suffocating, leading to self-doubt, boreout, confusion, and ultimately, burnout.

But what if there’s a way to step off the path carved for you and start carving your own? What if the freedom you’re yearning for isn’t as far away as it feels? In this post, I will share what I've learned supporting young professionals to find the career they love: their internal struggles, but also the actionable steps that helped them shift from feeling stuck to rediscovering their purpose.

It all starts with one question: What do you truly want?

The Struggles of Living Someone Else’s Dream

The Invisible Chains of Expectations

For many of us, family plays such an important role in shaping our dreams and ambitions. Parents dream of stability for us - the prestigious job, the paycheck with benefits, the degree you’ll hang on your office wall. While these aspirations come from a good place, they can overshadow your authentic desires. Over time, the life you’re building can feel more like a tribute to someone else’s dreams rather than a reflection of your own.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Whose success am I really striving for?" It’s a hard question, especially when external pressures reinforce the idea that there’s a "correct" path to success. Knowing whether you’re living authentically or on autopilot can be a challenge.

Losing Sight of Your Personal Vision

Here’s the paradox young professionals face today. On one hand, there’s the endless array of career options made possible by technology and a globalized economy. On the other hand, that incomprehensible amount of choices can lead to analysis paralysis. Because of this, I see many young professionals struggle with questions like: “Am I making the right choice?" or worse, "What if I’ve already made the wrong one?”

This fear of committing to the wrong career path often keeps people stuck. They stop moving forward, confused and uncertain about what their true vision for themselves actually looks like. If this is you, you're not to blame. The pressure of expectations and societal norms can feel overwhelming. But here’s the truth: there’s no single “right” path, and there’s immense power in simply taking the next step - no matter how small it may be - that feels right for you.

The Looming Threat of Burnout

When you continuously chase external validation - whether through promotions, LinkedIn likes, or climbing the corporate title ranks - burnout becomes almost inevitable. Burnout is a dreamkiller because it doesn’t just leave you exhausted; it leaves you questioning your worth, your purpose, and the very goals you once thought were right for you.

The good news? You’re not as stuck as you think. Below are practical ways to break the cycle.

3 Powerful Steps to Reclaim Your True Career Path

1. Reflect on Your Values and Passions

The first step to building a life you love is understanding what truly matters to you. It’s about going beyond what society or family expects and asking yourself:

• What lights me up?

• What do I value most - creativity, independence, or impact?

• If I weren't afraid of what my parents or friends would think, what would I do differently today?

Find some quiet time to journal or think about these questions. Reflection is like decluttering - once you sort through the mess of other people's expectations about your life, you’ll begin to see your own dreams emerge.

What you can do right now

Block off an hour each week to write down the moments that brought you happiness and fulfillment. Look for patterns over time - they might reveal hidden passions or values you’ve overlooked.

2. Experiment With New Experiences

Finding your path isn’t about having all the answers upfront. It’s about trying new things and staying open to those "Aha!" moments. Maybe it’s volunteering for causes you care about, freelancing in a different field, or even pursuing a side project. Exploration is how you discover what energizes you.

Think of it like prototyping your career or microdosing your dreams. Not every attempt will succeed, but each one will bring new insights.

What you can do right now

Pick one thing you’ve always been curious about - learning graphic design, public speaking, investing - and dedicate 30 minutes a day to it for a month. You may uncover a passion or skill you never knew you were capable of.

3. Seek Guidance From a Mentor or Professional

Sometimes, the best way to make sense of our choices is by having someone help us see things through a fresh lens. A mentor or career coach can not only guide you through uncertainties but also provide the tools and strategies to identify your strengths and goals.

The key here is finding someone who listens without judgment and encourages you to think big. A career coach’s role isn’t to prescribe a solution but to help you chart the path that feels true to yourself.

What you can do right now

Reach out to someone you admire - a teacher, former manager, or industry leader. Ask for a coffee chat and approach it as a learning opportunity. Their perspective might spark clarity on your next steps.

Breaking Free Starts With One Choice

The pain of being stuck isn’t permanent. It’s a signal that something needs to change - and that change can start today. By reflecting on your values, exploring different paths, and seeking meaningful guidance, you’re not just rejecting the mold; you’re reclaiming your agency.

Remember: You don’t have to do it alone. Imagine having someone who truly listens, who gives you the tools to rewrite your story and step into a life that feels undeniably yours.

That life, the one filled with purpose, joy, and authenticity, is within your reach. It’s not a distant dream or something reserved for others; it’s waiting for you to claim it. Every step you take, no matter how small, brings you closer to the life you’re meant to live. And through it all, I want you to know this: I believe in you.

You are capable, resilient, and worthy of every beautiful moment ahead. The power to create your path is already in your hands. Keep going – you’ve got this!

Feeling stuck or weighed down by expectations?

You’re not alone - so many talented, creative souls end up living someone else’s story, unsure how to start writing their own. It’s easy to lose clarity amidst the noise and pressure.

Let’s discover what truly motivates and inspires you. I’m offering a free session to help you untangle expectations, reconnect with your authentic values, and set your sights on a future you choose - one that lights you up.

Schedule your free session!

Is your money mindset affecting your dreams?

We all think we know what money is, and we all feel confident that what we think we know is true. We hardly ever question the beliefs that we have around money or the money mindset that comes with it – even though we don’t know where they come from. A perfect example of this is the belief that many of us have – me included – that making money is a hard thing to do. We start out in life believing this to be true, even before we experience it for ourselves.

My story and mindset about money began with that exact belief. For many years it rippled into everything I did, including how I approached my dreams and tried to achieve them. Because I believed making money was hard, I also believed achieving my dreams had to be.

And it was. Our mindset can be our worst enemy as much as it can be our best friend.

We don’t always think about our mindset this way. In fact, many people go through life without ever questioning what their beliefs are. As the student of my own mindset for many years now, and the witness of the amazing, positive changes that occur in my clients when they change their mindset about money, I’ve come to realize that understanding the true power of your beliefs is one of the most fundamental ways to find more flow, happiness, and courage in your life – and to achieve your dreams!

Our beliefs influence the way we think, but also the way we feel, and the way we act. In a way, you might say that everything comes down to your mindset:

• How you perceive the world

• Your level of self-confidence and self-esteem

• How much you think you’re worth

• Whether or not you believe you can do something

• …

All of these thoughts, feelings, and characteristics are guided by your mindset. If you believe that making money is hard, it will have an effect on your dreams.

You might think building your dreams is expensive, and since you believe making money is hard you’ll never get there. Or as you’re building the career or business of your dreams you might fall into the trap of relentless productivity and overwork like I did. Because way you think about money has a direct influence on the way you think about all the activities that produce money.

The good news is that, even though our beliefs control us, we can take control over what we believe. This means that you are in control, and that no matter what your situation may be today, you have the power to change the world you live in simply by changing how you think about it.

You start this process by asking questions.

• What do you think about when you think about money?

• When you think about money, how do you really feel? Calm, excited, happy, afraid, stressed out?

• What was the relationship your parents had with money? Were they savers, spenders? Were they relaxed about money or always worrying?

• In what financial situation did you grow up? How much money was available to you then? Was there enough to go around, or was making ends meet a challenge every month?

• Who do you think you need to be in order to make money?

• How much do you think you’re really worth? How about your time? And your work?

Exploring these questions will help you to find out more about your relationship with money, and what your money mindset is.

Whether you’re conscious of it or not, beliefs about money were all around you when you were growing up. And they are still all around you today. Everybody has them, and often they’re rooted in the culture that you’ve been brought up into. For instance, do any of these money stories sound familiar to you?

• You have to suffer to make money.

• People want to steal your money away from you.

• You have to work hard to make money.

• The best things in life are free.

• Money is the root of evil.

• Money needs to be saved.

• It’s selfish to want a lot of money.

• People with money are greedy, evil, bad.

• Money doesn’t grow on trees… (although this statement is true, what it implies is still a belief about money)

All of these statements were part of my inherited beliefs about money. As long as I kept on to them they worked like self-fulfilling prophecies. Even though making money was never the issue, the way I felt about it and how I spent it were.

The stories I believed about money shaped the way I felt about it, how I looked at it, and what I believed it to be. Essentially, I was afraid of money. I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough of it in my life (since it doesn’t grow on trees, you see!), I was afraid I would have to work really hard all my life to have even a little (well, because you’ve got to work hard for money), I hated wanting money (because it’s selfish), and when I had money, I often felt bad about it (because it’s the root of all evil). What a mess!

I don’t believe any of these statements anymore. Money is not good or bad, doesn’t require hard work, doesn’t make you evil, and it’s certainly not selfish to keep the money that you’ve worked for for yourself. It’s just an instrument that is required in life to get a lot of the things we want.

The thing is nobody teaches us this stuff. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. The tyranny of our inherited dreams keeps us locked up in these suffocating beliefs about money. They have been passed down from generation to generation, transformed on the way down by the experiences of those who end up giving them to us.

Wherever they come from, what most of your beliefs about money are is – simply – beliefs. Yes, many of them probably find their origin in some truth, but not the kind that you need to live by today.

Unconsciously or consciously, we all live by many of the money beliefs that we’ve inherited and are surrounded with. And that limits us. Sometimes in a good way, like when we realize money doesn’t grow on trees and so we don’t spend it all. But most of the time our money stories aren’t that helpful. Like when we’re afraid to invest in our dreams because, well… money doesn’t grow on trees.

In order to achieve your dreams – and to live a life aligned with your soul – you need to create your own beliefs about money. And guess what, you have the power to do just that!

How to identify the beliefs that hold you back

In my coaching practice I meet women when they’re at a crossroads in their lives. When the life they’ve been living for a long time – and the goals they’ve pursuit – don’t work for them any more. When I ask these women what their big dreams are I’m often met with silence. Many of them simply don’t know. Or if they do, their big dreams often come with a big list of why they’ll never achieve them.

From personal experience, and listening to what these women tell me over and over again, I’ve learned that one of the main blocks to overcome in order to dream bigger are the beliefs we hold true for ourselves.

We live in a world full of rules and regulations about who we’re supposed to be and what we’re supposed to want. This is especially true as women. We’re expected to be a lot of things. Most of them in service of others. These unwritten rules or social expectations are often disguised as internalized beliefs. It’s simply the way culture works.

Being a good daughter for instance might mean you believe you need to listen to your parents when they give you advice about your career choices. Perhaps they want you secure your future by staying in a job you dislike, or earn a degree in a field that doesn’t interest you. The belief that you need to listen to them might make it hard for you to follow your own path, and choose your own career.

The good news is, once we identify the beliefs that hold us back, we can let go of them. We do this by replacing them with new beliefs based on who we are, what we really want, and what we actually belief about the world.

How to identify the beliefs that hold you back?

• Reflect

The best way I’ve found to identify internalized beliefs is to reflect on them. You can do this by journaling about them. Writing down what you believe in can be difficult. What’s internalized isn’t always visible on the surface or conscious. Here are a few prompts that can help you get started.

Pick a dream you’d like to achieve but have trouble getting started or following through with. Start writing down all the associations that come to you about this dream. Don’t edit or limit yourself.

Ask yourself:

• Do I think I deserve this dream?

• What will happen if I achieve this dream?

• Why do I think I won’t make it?

• What don’t I want about this dream?

• Why am I having trouble achieving this dream?

Go over your list and make a note of all the negative things you wrote down. What do they have in common? What do they say about how you see yourself in the world? What beliefs do they bring forward?

If your dream is to become a freelance writer you might think that pursuing this dream is risky, or that you can’t because you don’t have the right degree. Both of those things – risk and degree – are beliefs you have about who can, and can’t start a business.

The question is: is this really true? Do you really need a degree to become a freelancer writer and is it really that risky to work for yourself? Spoiler alert: it’s not! You only believe it is because you’ve been conditioned to.

• Listen to your inner voice

We all have a mean inner voice. It’s the one that tells us we can’t do something, or that we shouldn’t. She’s always there with an opinion about everything. Guess what? That opinion are your internalized beliefs.

By listening to your inner voice, especially when she’s being critical, you’ll be able to identify the beliefs that hold you back.

My inner critic has a tendency to tell me that I’m not good enough, that I don’t have what it takes to succeed at my dreams. For a long time this held me back from doing what I really wanted to do, and forced me to stay small. Once I realised she wasn’t telling the truth I was able to let go and make decisions without listening to her or my internalized beliefs.

• Question your inherited beliefs

Inherited beliefs are the beliefs that are passed down to us in childhood. A lot of them come from our parents, the school we went to, the social circles we grew up in. They’re closely related to our inherited dreams, something I resist and fight against in the work I do with my clients.

We have inherited beliefs about everything. Most of them came from the people that had the most influence on us, that we cared the most for or that we looked up to the most.

Questioning your inherited beliefs is an exercise in reflection like the first tip above. The difference is the focus of the question. Instead of asking yourself what you believe about something, you focus on someone else: your mom or dad, your siblings, a school teacher maybe. Anyone that had an influence on you growing up.

Ask yourself:

• What did my mom teach me about money?

• What did my dad teach me about work ethics?

• What did my fifth grade teacher think about creativity?

• How were my parents raised?

• What did my parents believe in?

These questions will help you to identify the beliefs that you’ve inherited. Once you have I invite you to ask yourself if they’re true and relevant to you. If not, don’t be afraid to change them to alternatives that work better for you. Your big dreams will thank you.