Things to consider when you feel like you 'can't work as hard as you used to'
I hear things like, "Lately, I just can't work as hard as I used to."
I hear this kind of thing during career interviews. The tone of voice is quiet, but there is a slight sense of self-rejection mixed in deep down.
I can't speak up as actively in meetings as I used to.
I can't work late into the night anymore.
I don't have the energy to take on new challenges.
I avoid things now that I used to take the initiative to do.
That's why I end up using words like these.
"I guess I've lost my edge."
"My motivation has dropped."
But every time I hear those words, I pause for a moment.
Is it really that you "can't work hard" anymore?
Is your yardstick still the old one?
In our 20s and mid-30s, we poured all our energy outward. It was a time when we confirmed our own value by responding to what others expected of us—evaluations, results, roles, and expectations.
On the other hand, what about now?
Energy is being distributed not just outward, but inward as well. Family, physical stamina, mental space, the meaning and value of work, and a sense of fulfillment. You might feel that you are being more careful and selective about how you use your energy than before.
This is not a decline, but a distribution. It is not a deterioration, but a structural change.
And yet, we tend to measure our current selves with the old yardstick. Even though when the environment changes, we should ideally change the ruler we use and the way we measure things itself.
We interpret not being able to produce the same speed or the same output as "not being able to do it anymore."
The assumption that "maintaining the status quo is decline"
There is a saying that "maintaining the status quo is decline." In a business context, that may indeed be true. The market keeps moving at an incredible speed, and competitors are evolving. If you stand still, you fall behind relatively.
However,if you apply this phrase directly to an individual's career or life, you might overlook something important.
This is because the definition of "maintaining the status quo" is measured only by external results and job titles.
For example,
You have more time with your family
Your own criteria for decision-making have become clearer
You have found a pace you can maintain without strain
When looking at life as a whole, these are clearly steps forward, yet we often view them as 'stagnation' or 'regression' simply by looking at our work output.
'What defines maintenance?'
'What defines growth?'
Those very questions themselves have not been updated.
What you really need to re-examine is not your ability, but your questions
In reality, what we need right now is not to reflect on our abilities, but to rethink the questions we ask ourselves.
Where am I putting most of my energy right now?
Whose expectations was I meeting with my 'hard work' in the past?
Is this current 'feeling of holding back' really a decline? Or is it a choice I'm making?
When I explore these questions with people during interviews, many realize something: they haven't become unable to work hard, but have unconsciously decided not to give everything they have.
That is not a weakness.
Rather, it is a sign that you are considering your life as a whole.
A career does not need to be on a constant upward trajectory
A career is something that continues for a long time, with moments where it pauses, slows down, or shifts in focus.
If you are feeling down right now by comparing yourself to who you were before, that axis of comparison may no longer fit who you are today.
Changing how you work hard is not proof that you have stopped.It just means your perspective has shifted to a place where you can see your whole life..
Before you rush to step on the gas again, why not take a moment to look at how you are using your energy?
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