CNBC.COM
Taking a lower-paying job doesn't usually sound like a positive development for someone's career. Neither does going on an extended hiatus from work.
But seemingly backwards moves — like starting an entry-level role in a new industry, or going back to school for a career change — often have the potential to make you happier and more successful in the long run, according to bestselling author and leadership expert Simon Sinek.
"I think a lot of people think that if you only maintain forward momentum, that's the only way to advance," Sinek said on his "A Bit of Optimism" podcast, in a September 2 episode featuring happiness expert and Harvard University professor Arthur Brooks. "But the reality is: It's kind of more like a slingshot ... At some point, you have to go back, and then it fires forward a lot faster than if you were just walking the stone forward."
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Happiness and fulfillment come from learning, pursuing opportunities that you enjoy and bouncing back from moves that don't work out, said Sinek. But people frequently struggle with how these decisions are perceived by others, making it hard to love the process. That's especially true for students and early-career professionals, who may feel like they're competing with their peers to reach certain milestones, he said.
"The whole idea of, 'I'm going to get behind,' suggests that you're in a race towards something, which means there's a finish line and that's what you're looking forward to the most," said Sinek. "And that is completely wrong."
Once you're confident enough in your own path to stop worrying about how others will judge your decisions, you'll feel happier and more fulfilled, he said.
Brooks, the happiness expert, cited himself as an example of someone who made a seemingly backward career moves to ultimately become more successful. He was originally a professional French horn player, dropping out of college to tour as a musician at age 19, he said. For years, he struggled to earn a living as a soloist — and eventually stopped chasing a breakthrough, going back to school in his late 20s.
Returning to academia put Brooks on the path to his current career, he said. "Throughout my life, about every 10 years, I strip my life back to the bolts," Brooks told Harvard Magazine in December 2022. "I start all over."
A willingness to take a step back and reassess your career, without worrying about factors like judgment from others or making less money, is a crucial part of finding fulfillment, Sinek said on the podcast: "If you're too paralyzed by fear and you don't know how to reinvent yourself and you're not willing to go backwards in terms of money and power and prestige, you're screwed."
If you're weighing whether or not to shake up your career, you should ask yourself 10 specific questions, executive coach Cynthia Pong wrote for CNBC Make It in May. Those questions include "Have you thought about leaving your field most days in the past week?" "Would your loved ones say you should change careers?" and "What unique skills, talents and perspectives would you bring to a new field?"
Your answers can help you differentiate between the normal, "occasional frustration" that everyone experiences at some point and a pattern of unhappiness and misalignment that you need to address, wrote Pong.
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