From Restless to DISCO; the process that started North Star Labs

I’m midway through my studies for a Business Psychology Master's, it’s a field that applies psychology to the workplace, for productivity, for mental health and for optimising all things human at work. 

Within this fascinating field, I’ve been doing a deep dive on the concept of a career calling. Not only has it been a lifelong fascination, but it has also become very real for me as I felt restless in mid-career despite success. 

I discovered through my studies and personal experience that conventional career advice doesn't really address this restless feeling. 

Conventional career advice is based on sticking with the knitting. What you’ve done previously determines your next move. 

But to really find fulfilment, finding what matters to you is a much better determinant than what your CV contains. The downside of this, is that it requires us to step away from the familiar and take a leap of faith into the unknown. 

What I’ve also discovered as a result of my studies is how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation play out in mid-career and how there is an inflection point, whereby the extrinsic desires that sets your path in your early career (achievement, recognition, status) is slowly replaced by a growing intrinsic drive (your values and internal compass maturing and kicking into gear). 

I call this transition “The Awakening Point”.  To dig deeper into the psychology of this, look at self-determination theory, and Kegan’s development model. 

So, over the last few years, all of these ideas have crystallised into my DISCO methodology. In summary, if you are seeking fulfilment in mid-career, you’ll need to pass through the following five checkpoints: 

• Discovery - real knowledge of self to make smarter decisions. 
• Intuition - tapping into your own inner wisdom, ignoring it is causing restlessness. 
• Story - what has brought you here and how it will support your next chapter. 
• Courage - stepping out of your comfort zone
• Opportunities - making the transition whilst supporting the practical realities of life (kids, mortgage, responsibilities, etc.). 

Reflecting on building out this framework, which I’m delivering via 1-2-1 coaching, I’m tapping into my experience as an IT industry analyst in the ITAM space, taking the feed of endless complexity and change and trying to build frameworks and models so that people can wrap their heads around topics and make progress. 

Once I’d actually scribbled down the DISCO framework, a couple of things became apparent: 

Two truths about finding your career calling: 

1. In order to embark on this process, you need to recognise that this is a worthy pursuit. Some might say, “If everyone followed their calling, who is going to drive the trucks and flip the burgers?” This is a prejudiced view of a calling, which is in the eye of the beholder. I.e. flipping burgers might be somebody’s calling; who are we to judge? Everyone is entitled to pursue it, it’s not a lofty path for the privileged. Furthermore, NOT pursuing it and burying feelings of restlessness with overwork or trying to numb it out with (pick your poison or toxic behaviour) will be detrimental to your mental and physical health. The hard truth to swallow is that you are ignoring your own growth to protect your status. 
2. The second observation is that a career calling is a direction, not a destination. So it’s an ongoing pursuit. It’s more like a compass bearing, pointing you towards your future, not a finish line. You will course-correct as you build experience and road-test your values. 

The final thing I'll share, from my own experience, is that taking the step to embark on this is not easy. The feeling of restlessness can be hidden for a while whilst you are preoccupied, but it won’t go away; it can’t be swept under a mat. 

So if you are feeling restless despite success, got a feeling of “is this it?” despite achieving everything you set out to do, the time to do something about it is: today.