Design your future

When holidays end

A few days ago, I was out for an evening walk along the beach in Chalkida. It was a beautiful night. As I passed by a couple of trampolines, I noticed two young siblings—bouncing, laughing, talking to each other with all the excitement that only children seem to have.

The older sister turned to her younger brother and said, "In two weeks, school starts again!" She paused for a moment and then added, "Not even two weeks... less!"

Her little brother, eyes wide with excitement, replied, "Yeah! I’ll see my friends again! And I’m going to 4th grade!"

And with the wisdom only an older sibling can offer, she proudly responded, "Well, I’m going to 6th grade."

As I passed their parents, who were watching from nearby, I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. It struck a different tone.

The mother sighed and said, "I wish we could go back to work with the same joy."

The father nodded. "It’s gonna take me a while to get used to it again."

She added, "Every year around this time, I feel like I go through a little depression."

Now, you might say, maybe they’re just folks who aren’t particularly thrilled with their jobs. But let me ask you, how many of us belong to that category—dreading the return to work after a vacation?

In fact, I ran a little poll on Instagram, asking people to choose the emoji that best represented how they felt about going back to work.

The results were telling:

??: 27%

??: 24%

??: 24%

??: 25%

So what is it that leads to such different reactions?

Why do we take it so negatively?

After witnessing that scene, I tried to clarify in my mind what made those kids so eager to return to school, and what caused their parents to feel such dread about going back to work.

Let’s break it down and see what the return to work looks like for many of us:

• We go back to a place where demands are constantly placed on us.
• Unfinished tasks have piled up, postponed to "after the holidays." Now they’ve become a mountain we have to climb.
• We return to a routine filled with monotonous, repetitive actions that no longer challenge or excite us.
• We face daily interactions with toxic behaviors.
• Even if we have good colleagues, the environment doesn’t always allow for positive, enjoyable communication with them.

Now, let’s contrast that with the children from the story:

• They go back to a place where their obligations start fresh. No one is going to ask them to finish last year’s homework. At most, they might write a little essay on how they spent their summer vacation.
• They return to a place where they’re constantly learning new things, where they grow and develop. Remember what the kids said? "I’m going to 4th grade... I’m going to 6th." It’s like getting a promotion every year. And they might even walk into a newly painted or remodeled classroom, with a new teacher or new experiences awaiting them. There’s an element of change and surprise. That gives them something to look forward to.
• And let’s not forget, school has frequent breaks. They can always share stories with their friends and enjoy fun, lighthearted moments together.

We could explore this from many angles. But I want to focus on one simple tool—one that, if used correctly, could completely change the way we view our work.

Design your career path

Remember how excited you were when you planned your vacation? You were eager to figure out how you’d travel, where you’d stay, who you’d meet, and what you’d do. And as those days got closer, the anticipation only grew.

Now imagine applying that same kind of energy to your work.

Take a moment to sit down with a pen and paper. Map out your career goals—things you want to learn, people you’d like to collaborate with, new roles you might want to pursue. Make those goals challenging enough to push you, but not so out of reach that you get discouraged before you even start.

Then, craft a plan to achieve them. What tools can help you along the way? What new skills or knowledge will bring you closer to that position you’ve been eyeing? And talk it over with your supervisor. They’ll likely be thrilled to know you’re thinking about growth and development.

Visit this plan often. Adjust it when necessary. Take care of it like you would your future, because that’s exactly what it is. And most importantly, I want you to remember this: If you don’t create your own plan for your career, you’ll inevitably find yourself as part of someone else’s plan.

Building the future together

But here’s the thing: the ideal situation is for this process to be a partnership between the employee and the organization. From the moment of the first interview, to hiring, and throughout the entire relationship, both sides should be working together to map out a career path.

It’s crucial for a business to plan alongside its employees because this builds a mutual relationship of trust and growth. When employees see that the company is investing in their future, their loyalty, productivity, and satisfaction naturally increase. Knowing there’s room for advancement gives them the motivation to keep improving, and at the same time, the company ensures it is nurturing leaders who share its values and vision.

This is how we build a future together—where the success of the individual is directly tied to the success of the organization. And when businesses and employees walk this path side by side, both are empowered to reach their highest potential.

Someone said it, and I liked it.

I am not what happens to me. I am what I choose to become.

- Carl Jung

Content I suggest this month ??

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Career Planning

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A conversation with 苹果 ’s CEO, Tim Cook, where he talks about a 25-year career plan he once made for himself. Now, as he tells it, he only got about the first two years right. But what stood out to me was how he emphasized the importance of having a “North Star”—something to guide you, even when the path ahead isn’t entirely clear.

Question for you:

What are the three most important things you wouldn’t want to be missing from your work?

Identifying those will help you navigate your career with greater clarity and make decisions that bring you closer to the kind of work—and life—you want to lead.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts on that!

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If you believe that this newsletter can benefit others, share it.

If you want to work together to increase the happiness levels of your workforce, send me a DM and let's chat.

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Here's to the countless smiles ahead!

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Giannis Metoikidis

Work Happiness Trainer

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