Does this sound familiar? You wake up tired. You push yourself to get your butt in gear to get dressed and get yourself off to work. Once there, you feel bored, anxious or frustrated, and you struggle to get focused. You wish you could be anywhere else but where you are. Boy, it's gonna be a long day.  

Think you're depressed? Maybe, but think again. You may simply be at a career crossroads. Here are some of the signs that you may be at a crossroads: feeling unstimulated, unsatisfied, unfulfilled or under utilized. If you've been operating on auto-pilot and find yourself saying that you could do your job in your sleep, then it's likely you're at a career crossroads but may not know it.

It's hard to take action when you're feeling this way, isn't it? It just feels like too much work. When I experiened a career crossroads, I found that to figure out where I wanted to go next, I had to take a step back and get to know myself all over again. This included a lot of reflection time looking at not only what I've done, what I can do but more importantly, what I want to do.

My process involved a lot of personal self-reflection as well as more formal evaluation of my personal interests, attitudes, and values, among other things, and of course, my skills, strengths and motivators. To do this I used various assessments (too many to list here!) and other tools to help me clarify and get focused. I also worked with a coach.

Unfortunately, when many of us experience a career crossroads we want to skip this important step because, let's face it, it's some of the hardest work you'll ever do. Regardless of what approach you decide to take, the first step is recognizing the symptoms. The second, taking action. 

Are you facing a craeer crossroads? Only you can know for sure, and what you ultimately decide to do about it is entirely up to you.

P.S. Join me for my interview with Karen Kodzik, author of Navigating Through "Now What?", The Various Career Crossroads in Our Lives, on September 15th at 12 noon CT. (Learn More)