Myth 3: hard always equals better

“There is no bonus or extra gold stars for struggling,” insists Hellerer. “So many of us underfulfilled overachievers will make the ‘hard’ choice thinking that’s the more valiant – or morally superior – answer or that with more difficulty comes more reward, but I repeat, there is no reward for extra suffering.” Therefore, choose the path that feels right for you, not the one that sounds the most impressive. There’s a difference between taking the path of most ease and the easy option. The former will almost always be better for your wellbeing in the long run.

After recognising these myths, Hellerer puts forward ‘directional living’ as both a philosophy and a framework for a fulfilling life in which we navigate our lives by moving iteratively in our own personal right direction instead of reverse-engineering our path from a predetermined destination.

“It’s flipping all the traditional career advice of 10-year plans and linear ladder-climbing on its head,” she says. “The main and most important promise of directional living is that it creates a life that you actually love living and that feels uniquely like your life. Living directionally actually leads to fulfilment, whereas destinational living certainly does not. On top of more purpose and meaning, living directionally also just feels better on a day-to-day basis: it means more clarity, ease and joy in your life. There’s less anxiety and fear in directional living. You’ll be more present and more connected to yourself, your work, your life and others.”

But how can we put that into practice?

3 career myths keeping you stuck in your current job (and how to escape them)