The Three Archetypes Of The Perpetually Stuck: A Quick Guide to Breaking Free
After leaving the career I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue (law) in 2016, I've had hundreds of conversations with career professionals looking for a way out. Almost ANY way out. Feeling stuck in a career is a strange sensation. In one sense there is no one FORCE you to stay there. It isn't prison after all. But in another, no less true although much less visible sense, everyone EXPECTS you to stay there. It's like removing the foundation you've worked so hard to build. The prospect of starting over is terrifying. I've found that anyone who is perpetually stuck in a career they hate (or can no longer tolerate) fall into one of three archetypes (I've fallen into each at one point or another). You've probably met them all. Hell maybe you see one in the mirror every morning. They're the Schemer, the Cinderella, and the Terrified Turtle. Each facing their own fears and each caught in one foundational misunderstanding.
The Schemer: All Talk, No Walk
After my escape room business was making good-but-not-great-money, I had an idea that was going to change everything. An app called GAMEDAY PARKING that let people reserve parking spaces before they get to the stadium. Gameday was going to be my ticket, my path to a billion dollars. Although I had no idea how to code or market an app (the latter being much more crucial than the former) I was certain that none of that mattered because I had the most important thing, A BILLION DOLLAR IDEA. I met with a few tech accelerators and even paid a team in India $15k to develop the idea.
SPOILER ALERT: After six months of developer called at 1AM Utah time with my Indian developers I took my medicine and shut the bug-ridden-app down. My shortcut to success led me to straight to a dead end.
We all know a Schemer. They're usually the smartest person at happy hour, spinning tales of their next million-dollar idea. They've got plans to disrupt everything from dog walking to dentistry. Their LinkedIn profile probably reads "Serial Entrepreneur" or "Visionary."
The truth? They're sedated by their own intellect. They've convinced themselves that having the "perfect idea" is 90% of success. Execution? That's just a minor detail they'll figure out later. (Spoiler: Later never comes.)
The Schemer is constantly consuming new podcasts, new trends, and new shortcuts to hitting it big but they never seem to pick up the bat and really take a swing (hint: building a product in private and never sharing it with the world and selling it doesn't count as taking a swing.)
The Cinderella: Waiting for Prince Charming
While I was practicing law, I had a very specific fantasy (not that kind you sicko.)
I'm sitting by myself at a diner for a late lunch. The waitress takes my order–French Toast with extra powdered sugar and chocolate milk–the usual. As she takes my menu, I hear the ding ding of the front door. A shadowy figure enters. I pull out my phone to check my work email. From the corner of my eye, I see the figure approach my booth. He taps me on the shoulder.
"Raleigh?" He asks
"Um…yes, can I help you?" I startlingly respond.
"Yes, you can," he says. It's time for your training to begin."
My fantasy cuts to me practicing my judo chop with my shirt off in the mountains of Peru, then I'm meeting the lost tribe that I was separated from at birth and then I return to become the CEO of a public company, save the known world, and live happily ever after. I didn't know it then but I thought of myself and Cinderella, an undiscovered diamond in the rough, waiting for my fairy-god-mother to come save me from the career prison I found myself in.
Cinderellas are waiting for their fairy godmother. They're brilliant, qualified, and completely convinced that success should come looking for them (and require them to take no personal risks).
These are the folks who update their LinkedIn profile every other week, hoping the perfect recruiter will finally notice them. They've got the pedigree but are perpetually waiting for permission to succeed.
The Terrified Turtle: Safely Stuck in Their Shell
Perhaps the most tragic of all – the Terrified Turtles have everything they need to succeed except the willingness to risk failure. They're competent, hardworking, and paralyzed by the possibility of making a wrong move.
They've usually built a comfortable life through diligence and caution. The idea of risking that comfort for potential growth? Terrifying. They're the ones who'll spend years researching the "perfect time" to start a business or switch careers.
Breaking Free: The Action Antidote
Here's the kicker – all three archetypes are stuck in the same trap. They're waiting for perfect conditions that don't exist:
- The Schemer waits for the perfect idea
- The Cinderella waits for the perfect opportunity
- The Turtle waits for the perfect guarantee
But here's the truth: Success isn't about perfect ideas, opportunities, or guarantees. It's about imperfect action. It's about starting before you're ready, learning as you go, and being willing to look foolish in the pursuit of growth.
The Way Forward
- For Schemers: Pick your most half-baked idea and start working on it TODAY. Bad execution beats perfect planning every time.
- For Cinderellas: Create your own opportunity. The prince isn't coming – build your own castle.
- For Turtles: Start small, but start now. Risk $100, not $10,000. Publish a post on social media. Take a few phone calls to hear people explain the problem that you'd like to solve.
Remember: The path to fulfillment isn't found in your head – it's found in your actions. Stop thinking about what could go wrong and start creating an opportunity for SOMETHING TO GO RIGHT.
Your career fulfillment isn't waiting for perfect conditions. It's waiting for you to act.
Ready to Break Free?
If you recognize yourself in any of these archetypes, you're not alone. I wrote The Creator's Call because I kept meeting brilliant people who were stuck in the same patterns I found myself caught in – smart, hard working people who knew they were meant for more but couldn't figure out how to bridge the gap between thinking and doing.
The book goes deep into what I call the "Creator's Cycle" – the journey away from the Default Path that keeps us stuck in these mental traps to actually building something meaningful.
Whether you're a Schemer who needs help executing, a Cinderella waiting for permission, or a Turtle ready to peek out of your shell, The Creator's Call shows you how to stop planning and start creating.
Keep an eye on your inbox – I'll be sending the link to pre-order the book soon. Until then, ask yourself and shoot me a quick message back: Which archetype am I ready to leave behind?
To your creative freedom,
Raleigh
