Your Sorting Hat: On curing burnout, embarrassment with the past, and owning old strengths
Career Tuesday
Careers, Life and Questions (Jul 01, 2025)
Wish you a Happy Career Tuesday!
3 Career Ideas
I.
"You're Not Stuck—You're Underutilized
Feeling bored or burned out? You might not need a new job. You might need a new challenge.
Stretch projects, cross-functional teams, internal gigs—seek friction. That’s where reinvention begins."
II.
"Ask for Feedback Before You're "Ready"
Don’t wait till your project is perfect. Ask for input while it’s still messy.
Early feedback = faster growth, fewer blind spots, stronger results.
Perfection is lonely. Collaboration is powerful."
III.
"The Most Valuable Employees Spot Patterns
Beyond tasks and targets, look for patterns:
→ Repeated client complaints
→ Gaps in team workflows
→ Bottlenecks in decision-making
Those who see patterns shape the future. Everyone else just reacts."
2 Life Quotes from Books
I.
Alain de Botton, philosopher, in The Consolations of Philosophy, on resilience:
"Anyone who isn’t embarrassed by who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough."
Source: Book: Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton
II.
Cheryl Strayed, in Brave Enough, on personal agency:
"Don’t surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn’t true anymore."
Source: Book: Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed
1 Question
What’s one strength you’ve downplayed or ignored because it comes easily to you?
How would your work shift if you fully owned that edge starting today?
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Until next week,
Devashish Chakravarty
Author of YourSortingHat
Columnist for Careers at The Economic Times