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A new job. A new title. A new team. The sense that this time, things will be different. You tell yourself this is the fresh start you need—the reset that will finally align your work with who you are. But then… a familiar feeling returns. You get uneasy. And soon, you’re back where you started: searching again.

Why We Keep Starting Over

Changing jobs—or even entire careers—can be part of healthy growth. But if you find yourself constantly moving on, not because you’re growing into something, but because you’re trying to escape something, it’s worth pausing to ask:
What am I actually running from?

For some, it’s unspoken conflict. A toxic boss. A difficult colleague. For others, it’s a deeper discomfort with feeling stuck, unseen, or out of control.

Often, we move on not because we’re done, but because we never learned how to stay.

You Can’t Finish What You Never Fully Started

When you’re always beginning a new chapter, but never finishing the last one, it becomes difficult to build anything meaningful or lasting. Despite all your effort to move forward, you may find yourself… more stuck than ever.

Because the underlying patterns—how you respond to stress, how you handle conflict, how you define “enough”—don’t disappear just because your LinkedIn headline does.

Awareness is the First Step Toward Real Change
Before you make another leap, try looking back:

• How many jobs have you had in the last 3–5 years?
• How often have you moved, shifted industries, or pivoted your role?
• What typically drives your decision to leave?

Was it really the job—or was it how it made you feel?
Did you leave to grow—or to escape?

This isn’t about staying somewhere unhealthy or unaligned. It’s not about “settling.” It’s about becoming more conscious of why you leave—and more intentional about what you’re looking for next.

Discomfort Isn’t Always a Sign to Go
Sometimes discomfort means something is wrong. But sometimes, discomfort is the place where growth starts to happen. So next time the urge to flee, try pausing. Instead of asking “Where should I go next?” ask:

• What’s making me uncomfortable right now?
• What would it look like to work through this, instead of away from it?
• Where does real change need to happen—out there, or in here?

Figuring out what you really want doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck. It just means learning the difference between a change you truly need—and one you’re making just to run away.

Because the goal isn’t just another new beginning. It’s building something you don’t need to run from!