You’ve worked hard, achieved a lot, and built a career others would love to have. And yet, if you’re honest, you’ve had moments where you’ve quietly wondered: “Is this really it?”

Sound familiar? If so, I get it.

For much of my career, I ended up in that exact spot. Even while working for incredible organizations alongside talented people, I often felt restless, unmotivated, and questioning whether something was wrong with me.

It’s a confusing place to be because:

• You’ve hit the milestones.

• You’ve earned the respect.

• You’ve got the perks and financial security.

On paper, you’ve “won” the game. But under the surface, there’s that persistent, nagging thought: I’m not in the right place.

At first, I told myself I was ungrateful. Or maybe wired to never be satisfied. But the truth was simpler and you might recognize it in yourself: I was chasing the wrong definition of success.

I first noticed the misalignment as a commercial real estate investment analyst - the role I’d pursued relentlessly since undergrad. Getting there wasn’t easy. I came from a small, lesser-known school, had no relevant internships, and fought my way into the industry, eventually landing “dream” roles in New York and Boston.

At first, it was everything I thought I wanted. But over time, my motivation faded. I didn’t enjoy the day-to-day work or feel connected to its impact. The excitement had been about getting there, not about the work itself.

Admitting that was hard because it meant facing the truth that I’d invested years in a goal that could never give me what I hoped for.

Eventually, I saw the real barrier:

The belief that you have to choose between meaning and prosperity.

I carried that belief for years, and it kept me in roles that looked impressive but didn’t feel right.

The truth? You can have both but it requires starting from a different place. Instead of beginning with the roles that already exist, you start by deeply understanding who you are - your values, motivators, and interests. From there, you can design a career that plays to your strengths instead of against them. Sometimes that means stepping into an existing role. Sometimes creating your own. Other times, forging a new path. But in almost every case, it starts by challenging the false choice between fulfillment and prosperity.

If you’ve been quietly asking, “Is this really it?”, take 20 minutes this week to reflect on:

• Which parts of my current work give me energy and which drain me?

• When have I felt most alive, engaged, or proud in my career?

• If I could design a role from scratch, what problems would I love to solve and for whom?

Because the path to a career that’s both fulfilling and prosperous doesn’t start with the next big opportunity. It starts with remembering who you are and building from there.

If you knew you could have both fulfillment and prosperity, what’s the very first change you’d make?