Man, you ever had those dreams where you’re flying? Or trying to fly, but something’s holding you back? Everyone talks about what it means, right? Freedom, control, breaking free. But for me, it always came down to something way more grounded, literally. My career path. Was it taking off, or was I just stuck on the tarmac, engines sputtering?
I remember this one long stretch, felt like years, where my career was just… flat. Like a plane grounded by bad weather. I was doing my job, doing it well, but there was no climb. No real ascent. It was just maintenance, you know? Pushing paper, hitting deadlines, but without any real sense of forward motion. I’d go home and just feel this weird dull ache of unfulfilled ambition. It wasn’t that I hated it, it was just… numb. Like I was looking out the window of a stationary aircraft, watching other planes take off, and wondering why mine wasn’t moving.
During that time, my dreams were weird. Not exactly flying, but sometimes I’d be at an airport, trying to find my gate, or my luggage would be missing. Other times, I’d be running on a runway, trying to get enough speed to lift off, but my feet felt heavy, like they were made of lead. I’d wake up feeling frustrated, that same dull ache following me into the day. It was like my subconscious was yelling at me, telling me to get moving.
I realized I couldn’t just sit there. This feeling of being stuck, this constant “grounded” sensation, it started messing with me. I wasn’t just tired of the job; I was tired of myself for not doing anything about it. So, I started small. I began poking around online, not even looking for jobs, just for ideas. What were people doing out there? What new things were happening in my field? It was like I was checking the weather forecast, seeing if there was a window to even think about flying.
Then, I started to actually do something. I picked up a new skill. Not directly related to my job, but something I was curious about. After work, instead of zoning out, I fired up my old laptop. I watched tutorials, read articles, messed around with code. It was clunky at first. Really clunky. Like a plane trying to taxi with a flat tire. My wife would come in and ask what I was doing, why I was staring at a screen so much. I just told her I was “learning.” And I was. Every little chunk of knowledge felt like I was adding fuel to the tank. It was slow, a lot of trial and error, a lot of feeling stupid, but I kept pushing.
I built a small project. Nothing fancy, just a tiny little tool for myself. But man, that feeling when it finally worked? That was the first moment in a long time where I felt a tiny bit of lift. It was like the engines were finally roaring to life. That success, however small, sparked something. It told me I could do more than just sit there. I could actually build, create, contribute in a meaningful way.
That little project led to another, and another. Each one was a step, a bit more speed on the runway. I started applying for new roles, ones that felt like they aligned more with what I was building on the side. It was terrifying, honestly. Leaving the comfortable, predictable, but ultimately stagnant job. It was like walking up to the boarding gate, knowing there was no turning back once I stepped onto that plane. What if it crashed? What if I wasn’t good enough?
But I took the leap. I landed a new position. The first few months were a whirlwind of new faces, new systems, new challenges. There was turbulence, for sure. Moments where I questioned everything, wondered if I’d made a huge mistake. It felt like being in a plane hitting rough air, not knowing if it would smooth out. But I kept my head down, kept learning, kept pushing. I was doing. I was actively engaged, contributing, and seeing the impact of my work.
And then, one day, it hit me. I was deep into a project, collaborating with a team, ideas flowing, code compiling, and I felt it. This lightness, this momentum. This wasn’t just a job anymore; it felt like I was actually flying. Not literally, of course, but the feeling of my career finally taking off, gaining altitude, and soaring towards new horizons. That old grounded feeling? It was gone. Those heavy dreams? Replaced by a clear, focused drive.
