PSA: You don’t need to quit your job to feel fulfilled.
Even if you’re currently staring into the abyss of your draining AF inbox, wondering “Should I quit my job?” — you can still turn things around.
I promise. (I’ve bought receipts.)
And it all starts with figuring out what drives you (aka your values) and then finding ways to incorporate them into your work.
Because let’s face it, if you’re currently doing work that drains you, doesn’t challenge you, excite you, or mean anything to you, then yes, you’re going to feel miserable in your job and hate life. (Not to sound dramatic or anything.)
Sure, quitting might seem like the obvious solution, but let’s face it, it’s not always that simple.
Walking away from the only version of success you’ve ever known is terrifying. You’re not just walking away from your job. You’re walking away from your identity, your safety net, and the proof that you’ve made it.
So, before you respond to passive-aggressive Slack messages with 🖕 or impulsively send that resignation letter to your boss, I suggest mapping out your core values first and reshaping your job role to reflect them.
Let’s break it down…
P.S. If you’re new here, hey! I’m Thalia. I help 9-to-5 girlies recover from burnout and transform their draining AF job into a magnetic career they love. Every week(ish), I share content on burnout recovery, self-development, finding joy, and career growth. Subscribe here so you never miss a debrief.
Don’t skip this step.
Without fail, I will always bring back any topic I write about to values.
They’re literally the foundation of everything (aside from self-love, IYKYK) — at this point, values are basically becoming my trademark.
And the importance of values is no different when it comes to career growth.
Because if you’re not building a career that aligns with your values, it’s always going to feel like a grind. You’ll end up working even harder in your job to make up for it, hoping your next promotion or pay rise will magically fix that empty feeling.
But it won’t, as you can’t hustle your way out of misalignment.
The real work comes from getting clear on your core values — aka your guiding principles, your non-negotiables, the things you stand for above everything else. (e.g. creativity, freedom, autonomy, joy, health, etc)
Once you’re clear on your key priorities, you can reshape your current job role around what drives you and build unstoppable career growth so you can wake up every single day loving what you do for a living.
I mean, what’s more fulfilling than that?
Action Steps:
- Reflect on your most rewarding, satisfying and fulfilling moments
- Identify the values that were present within these moments and write them down
- Continue to add to your list until you have 10-15 values that still all resonate with you
- Narrow down your master list to just 5 core values
- Compare these values to your current job — where can you bridge the gap?
- Use this workbook to help you apply your values IRL
Hot tip 🔥 If your current job can’t support what’s important to you, it might be time to research new job roles and opportunities as a back-up plan, just in case you do decide to quit.
How to reshape your job role to reflect your values
There are a bunch of common values.
So, to stop myself from getting overwhelmed, I’m just going to focus on a handful that I think best describe your situation. Because if you’re anything like my clients, you probably value creativity, joy, autonomy, gratitude, and/or health.
But remember, only you can define your values, so don’t skip the above step.
The examples below will give you an idea of the things you can do to start reshaping your job around your values.
These are small tweaks that you can make today. You don’t need to overhaul your entire role or do anything that feels out of reach for your company. Choose 1-2 things to change first so you don’t get overwhelmed, and add in more as you get more confident and feel your job getting better.
I encourage you to save this post so you can come back to it whenever you need to.
Creativity
Do you ever feel like your job has turned into a copy-paste routine?
Same tasks. Same meetings. Same conversations. There’s nothing about your job role that actually pushes you out of your comfort zone.
If you’re craving something that actually lights you up, creativity might be one of your missing values and the key to bringing a bit of excitement back into your day.
But before you can start bringing more creativity into your work, you need to know what that actually looks like first.
Creativity doesn’t always mean designing something pretty or coming up with the next big idea. Sometimes it’s about how you solve problems, collaborate with others, or make repetitive tasks more fun.
Start by breaking this value down into 5-8 specific areas so you know where to focus your time and energy. To do this, ask yourself: “What does creativity mean to me, and why is it important?”
Creativity can look like:
- Brainstorming
- Visuals
- Problem-solving
- Experimentation
- Storytelling
- Systems
- Collaboration
- Learning
Your answers here will show you where to start.
Maybe you light up when you’re brainstorming new ideas with your team. Or maybe you feel most creative when you’re improving systems or putting out fires.
Once you know which part(s) of creativity matter most to you, you can start inviting more of it into your job in small, intentional ways.
For example:
- Brainstorming: Host a 20-minute team huddle for your next project
- Visuals: Turn a plain report into a visual mockup that’s more engaging
- Problem-solving: Choose one recurring issue and pitch a small, simple fix
- Storytelling: Share a small win or project as a short case study in your next team meeting
- Systems: Create a quick SOP to make a repetitive task easier
- Collaboration: Partner with someone outside your team for a fresh perspective
- Learning: Block one hour a week to learn something that sparks your curiosity
Joy
When was the last time you actually enjoyed your workday? Like you genuinely felt a spark of satisfaction.
If you’ve forgotten what that feels like, joy might be one of your missing values.
But before you can start bringing more joy into your day, you need to know what joy actually looks like for you. Because for some people, it’s about laughter and for others, it’s about feeling appreciated.
Start by breaking this value down into 5-8 specific areas so you know where to focus your time and energy. To do this, ask yourself: “What does joy mean to me, and why is it important?”
Joy can look like:
- Connection
- Variety
- Recognition
- Playfulness
- Pride
- Ease
- Purpose
- Flow
Your answers here will show you where to start.
Maybe you feel most alive when you’re vibing with people who get you, celebrating small wins, or working on something that actually means something to you.
Once you’ve narrowed it down, you can start reshaping your job around the part(s) of joy that matter most.
For example:
- Connection: Catch up with someone you genuinely like at work
- Variety: Swap one repetitive task for something you’re curious about this week
- Recognition: Create a weekly “wins” list — for yourself or your team — and share it
- Playfulness: Add small things to your desk that make you smile, e.g. music, plants, pictures, etc.
- Pride: Put extra care into one thing this week
- Ease: Keep a “low-energy” task list for those afternoons when you’ve got nothing left to give
- Purpose: Remind yourself why a task matters before you start it
- Flow: Protect at least 2 hrs a day for deep work
Autonomy
I dare you to name something more annoying than your boss constantly breathing down your neck or questioning every little decision?
Autonomy is all about trust.
It’s about being given space to figure things out, to use your judgement, and to feel capable without being micromanaged. But before you can invite more autonomy into your role, it helps to know what kind of freedom you actually crave.
Autonomy means different things to different people.
For some, it’s flexible hours and working when you’re most productive. For others, it’s being trusted to make decisions or having uninterrupted focus time.
Start by breaking this value down into 5-8 specific areas so you know where to focus your time and energy. To do this, ask yourself, “What does autonomy mean to me, and why is it important?”
Autonomy can look like:
- Ownership
- Decision-making
- Flexible hours
- Focus time
- Self-management
- Trust
- Remote days
- Lead projects
Your answers here will show you where to start.
Maybe you feel most fulfilled when you’re trusted to manage projects on your own. Or maybe what you really want is flexibility — the ability to structure your day around when you do your best work.
Once you know which part(s) of autonomy matter most to you, you can start inviting more of it into your job in small, intentional ways.
For example:
- Ownership: Ask to run one small project from start to finish
- Decision-making: When you share ideas, say which one you’d go with and why
- Flexible hours: Try shifting your hours for a week and note down how your focus changes
- Focus time: Block out at least 2 hrs of quiet time in your calendar and actually protect them
- Self-management: Send a short Monday plan and Friday wrap-up to keep your team aligned
- Trust: Keep a simple progress doc so your boss doesn’t need to chase you for updates
- Remote days: WFH at least once a week if you can
- Leading projects: Volunteer to lead the next phase of a project
Gratitude
Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring the shitty parts of your job.
It means noticing the good stuff just as much, so the negative things don’t consume you. Because let’s face it — your career is so much more than just a salary and job title.
Before you can start bringing more gratitude into your work life, you need to know what gratitude actually looks like for you. Because it’s not just saying “thanks” — it’s about paying attention to progress, connection, and small wins.
Start by breaking this value down into 5-8 specific areas so you know where to focus your time and energy. To do this, ask yourself: “What does gratitude mean to me, and why is it important?”
Gratitude can look like:
- Progress
- Learning
- Mentors
- Team spirit
- Stability
- Impact
- Freedom
- Wins
Your answers here will show you where to start.
Maybe you feel grateful when you’re learning something new, or when your team actually supports one another. Or maybe it’s simply appreciating the stability your job gives you right now.
Once you know which part(s) of gratitude matter most to you, it becomes easier to bring that perspective into your day-to-day life.
For example:
- Progress: Write down 3 small wins before logging off
- Learning: Reflect on one lesson each week and how you’ll use it moving forward
- Mentors: Send a thank you message to someone who’s helped or inspired you
- Team spirit: Shout out a colleague’s work in a meeting or group chat
- Stability: Acknowledge what your job makes possible, e.g. rent, travel, weekends off, etc.
- Impact: Track data that shows the difference your work makes
- Freedom: Appreciate the flexibility or autonomy you do have (and protect it)
- Wins: Keep screenshots in a file you can open on meh days
Health
You can’t build career growth on burnout.
Ironically, that’s exactly what so many of us try to do.
Health isn’t just about eating well or hitting the gym. It’s about protecting your energy, setting boundaries, and creating space to rest so you can actually show up for yourself.
Before you can start bringing more health into your routine, you need to know what health actually looks like for you. Because it’s not one-size-fits-all. For some people, it’s more sleep. For others, it’s stronger boundaries or simply slowing down.
Start by breaking this value down into 5-8 specific areas so you know where to focus your time and energy. To do this, ask yourself: “What does health mean to me, and why is it important?”
Health can look like:
- Sleep
- Boundaries
- Movement
- Breaks
- Focus
- Recovery
- Nourishment
- Calm
Your answers here will show you where to start.
Maybe you need to get serious about logging off on time. Or maybe your biggest struggle is mental clutter, and you crave more calm in your day.
Once you’ve narrowed it down, you can start reshaping your job around the part(s) of health that matter most.
For example:
- Sleep: Set a consistent bedtime routine and stick to it on weeknights
- Boundaries: Choose two evenings a week where work notifications are completely switched off
- Movement: Move your body between meetings by stretching or getting outside for a walk
- Breaks: Take lunch away from your desk
- Focus: Batch similar tasks together so you’re not constantly switching your focus
- Recovery: Keep one evening free a week for actual rest
- Nourishment: Set reminders to drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated
- Calm: Pause for a minute or two before big calls or presentations
Final thoughts
Career growth isn’t just about climbing the ladder higher.
It’s about growing deeper — into who you are, what matters to you, and how you want to live.
Sure, you can collect promotions, pay rises, and shiny new job titles all day long, but if your job doesn’t reflect your values, it’s always going to feel like something’s missing.
Unstoppable career growth happens when what you do aligns with who you are.
And the best part is, you don’t need to quit or start from scratch to make that happen. You just need to make space for the things that light you up, whether that’s moments of creativity, joy, autonomy, gratitude, well-being, or something else.
So, before you walk away from everything you’ve built, try reshaping it first.
Start small, stay curious, and remember this: your career grows when you do.
You’ve got this.
Thalia xx
