Does your job make you happy?
“Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.” - Paulo Coelho
I’ve had three career chapters so far. From hotel lobbies to digital innovation to coaching conversations, I never stopped exploring until I found work that truly lit me up.
It wasn’t a straight line, and it definitely wasn’t quick. But each chapter taught me something the next one needed.
Chapter One: The Hotel Lobby
I spent five years in a five-star hotel in my early twenties, steadily working my way up. I was good at it, and from the outside it looked like a solid career.
Then one late shift, I looked at my manager and saw how completely the hotel had become her whole life. Her friends, her social life and her identity were all wrapped up in the job. It hit me like a lightning bolt: this could be me at 40.
I knew I wanted more than that. I just had no idea what “more” looked like. Hotels were all I’d ever known, and I had very little life or work experience to guide me.
Chapter Two: Digital Innovation
I found my way into selling websites in 1997, during the early days of the dot-com boom, and rode that digital wave for around 20 years. I climbed the ladder and achieved what looked like success on paper.
I also burned out.
Somewhere along the way, I’d been so busy achieving that I forgot to ask whether it was making me happy. It wasn’t until maternity leave gave me space to think that the answer landed: the career I’d worked so hard for no longer excited me. There was no spark, just the prospect of returning to a treadmill.
I wanted more meaning, more purpose and more balance, and I was certain I couldn’t go back to the way I’d been working. What I didn’t have was a plan.
Chapter Three: Coaching Conversations
The turning point was my own strengths assessment back in 2014, when my natural talents finally came into focus. Things I’d assumed made me a misfit started to make sense, and I saw they were actually what made me exceptional.
That one step changed everything. It led me to become a certified strengths coach, and it’s the foundation of the work I do now, helping people find careers that fit who they actually are.
Getting here wasn’t graceful or fast. My second career change took around ten years, held up by fear, self-doubt and a fair bit of imposter syndrome. I’d love to tell you I leapt. I didn’t, but I got there.
Strengths Aren’t Self-Indulgent. They’re a Compass.
Looking back, the thread through all three chapters is this: I was always searching for the work that made me feel alive, and I didn’t have a reliable way to find it.
Knowing your strengths isn’t self-indulgence. It’s the compass that points you toward work that fits, the kind that energises you rather than drains you. Without it, you’re guessing, and you can spend years in the wrong role because you never had the language for what you were missing.
Happiness Isn’t the Destination
Three career chapters later, I can say this with confidence: happiness isn’t the destination, it’s the non-negotiable foundation.
We tend to treat it as the reward at the end, something we earn after the promotion, the salary or the right title. But the work you spend most of your waking life doing is far too big a part of your life to leave your happiness to chance.
So, What’s Your Next Work Chapter?
Maybe you’re mid-chapter and quietly wondering if there’s a better fit out there. Maybe you’ve known for a while that something needs to change. Or maybe you’re staring at a blank page, unsure what comes next.
If you’d like help working it out, I’d love to chat.
Binny
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