You can’t figure out what’s wrong.

Everyone else seems to have a goal they’ve broken down into smaller tasks and are hard at work achieving them.  They seem so focused and put together while you feel … bipolar.

It’s not that you aren’t willing to take a leap and try something new.  It’s just that nothing ever seems to stick, nothing feels quite right.  And so you go back to the drawing board again and again, feeling a little bit more like a failure each time.

It’s depressing and you’re about ready to give up on your dream all together.  Maybe you just aren’t cut out for this.  Maybe you don’t have what it takes to really make it.

It’s easy to get the idea that success is a linear process, and you’re either on trajectory … or off it.

In fact, everyone is taking the scenic route to success, just like you are.

The founders of Flikr started out with an online video game before they realized the picture sharing service had more potential than the game itself.  YouTube started as a video dating service.

Changing directions itself isn’t bad.  The trick is learning how to identify directions and pivot as a result of opportunity, not fear.  It’s a matter of being wise enough to acknowledge who you are, not who you wish you could be.

And in this post, I’m going to do something most businesses never, ever do.

I’m going to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how (and why) I’ve built my business the way I have–and why I’m really excited to be closing it in just a few days. (Yep, you read that right.  On March 17, I’m closing the No Regrets Career Academy–more on that below.)

Then I’ll show you how to apply these principles to your own situation, whether you’re a budding entrepreneur yourself or working in a corporate job that could use a revamp.  It’s easier than you think.

You keep telling yourself things will get better.

It was never perfect, sure, but what is?  You figured the irritations and self-doubt would go away, that you could change things with time.  After all, every relationship has its growing pains.

Except the feelings don’t go away.  They get worse.

You feel impatient, restless, and sometimes, yes, a little depressed.  When you’re being honest, you admit this isn’t the life you imagined.

Just when you’re about to give up, something happens that reminds you why you fell in love in the first place.  You think, “I just have to hang in there and give this a chance.”

Over time the spark begins to dim.  Again.

If we were talking romantic relationships, most of us would probably advise a friend in this situation to just move on already.  If you’ve been at it for years and you’re still unsure, what makes you think it’s going to get any better? There are lots of other fish in the sea, as the saying goes.

When it comes to careers, many of us fail to find the courage in our professional lives that we possess in our personal lives.  It seems so … different.

But is it?

Turns out, as your friend and career advisor, I’m going to give you the same advice: love it or leave it. But I’ll also do one better.

I’ll show you how to choose.

Several people have dubbed me “fearless,” but hardly ever “shocking”.  I am, after all, a homebody and an introvert (or is that like saying an introvert and an introvert? Whatever).

But recently I decided to change my life in a subtle, but spectacular, way.  And whenever I tell someone about it, it’s not uncommon to get a gaping mouth in response.

A little background: When my husband took over the cooking duties after the birth of our daughter, he started with the book A Man, a Can, a Plan.  Turns out as a chemist he was a natural chef, and was soon whipping up gourmet meals that sent me swooning.

Now my husband has a long commute and gets home late.  Since our neighborhood is full of cute little restaurants, we quickly found ourselves eating out 4-5 days a week.

The food was tasty and we chose places that were relatively inexpensive, but I prefer his home-cooked, healthier meals.  I disliked going out so much, but I really didn’t want to start cooking.

It was a lose-lose proposition: either we went out and I felt guilty, or I cooked and felt cranky.

For months, I went back and forth between those two lousy alternatives. One night we were chatting about what we would do if we suddenly came into a bunch of money.  Both of us blinked and had a hard time thinking of much we’d do differently–a great sign for lifestyle designers.

Then I said, “I’d get a personal chef.  Not everyday, but enough to take the pressure off the eating out/cooking in issue.”

And my very wise husband said, “We don’t need to win the lottery for that.  Why don’t you do it now?”

Why hadn’t I thought of that alternative, since the idea of a personal chef was clearly swirling around in the recesses of my mind?

There are a number of reasons, of course, but the real problem was putting a value on happiness.

In this post, I’ll explore how to discover the things that might be a happiness doubler (or tripler!) for you, and how to wisely invest in yourself.