Where to start when you know you can't keep doing this

There comes a point when even the most successful career stops making sense.

You’ve worked hard, provided for your family and achieved what you set out to do - but something inside feels increasingly disconnected.

You tell yourself to push through, to wait for things to get better. But if you're really honest with yourself, you know they won’t.

If you’ve reached that quiet point of realisation - “I can’t keep doing this” - you’re not alone.

Many men in their 40s find themselves here: successful on paper but stuck in work that drains them.

The good news is, there is a way forward. You don’t have to throw everything away or make impulsive decisions.

The first step isn’t quitting - it’s getting clear.

Step 1: Pause long enough to listen to yourself

Many men have spent years being everything for everyone else: the reliable one, the provider, the leader. That focus on others means their own voice has grown faint.

Start by making space for it again - it's important.

Write down what feels off. What drains you. What parts of your work feel most disconnected from who you are.

It sounds simple but awareness is powerful. You can’t change what you can’t see.

Step 2: Remember what matters to you

When you strip away the expectations, what do you actually care about?

Which values, causes or activities make you feel most alive or useful?

Many men discover that what once motivated them - status, salary, approval - no longer does. That shift isn’t failure, it’s a sign that your definition of success needs updating to match who you’ve become.

Step 3: Stop trying to solve it all in your head

This is where many men get stuck: overthinking, analysing, doubting.

You don’t need the perfect plan today. You just need the right next step.

Start talking about it with someone who gets it. Whether that’s a friend, relative or coach, saying things out loud creates clarity. It turns vague thoughts into direction.

Step 4: Build a plan that balances meaning and stability

If you’re like most men I work with, you have real responsibilities: a family, a mortgage, people depending on you.

That’s why any change has to be grounded, not reckless.

You can design a transition that protects your financial security while moving you toward work that feels purposeful.

It’s not about starting over. It’s about building alignment, step by step.

Step 5: How to move forward today

This is exactly what I help men do in my Clarity, Confidence, Action coaching programme. It’s a structured, supportive process to help you move from successful but empty to fulfilled and grounded.

Over three months we:

• Rediscover who you truly are and what matters most.

• Connect that insight to real, practical career options.

• Create a clear, risk-managed plan to move toward meaningful work.

You don’t have to keep pushing through a life that doesn’t fit anymore.

You can create one that does, with clarity, confidence and a plan that makes sense.

If this feels like where you are right now, I offer a free half hour discovery call where we explore what you need and see if we’re a good fit to work together.

No pressure to sign up - just a relaxed conversation to help you explore what meaningful work could look like for you.

Book your discovery call