Take a moment to think about your day. What does your routine look like? Have you gone beyond routine into something that looks like Groundhog Day? The same ol', same ol'. Every day the same, with minimal variation. Routines can be comforting. But they can also dull your senses and close you off to new experiences.

Ah, Fear. A familiar feeling for all of us. Being scared sucks, but it plays an important role throughout our lives. The primary purpose of fear is to keep us safe. But safe is a double-edged sword.

There I was, with a clear understanding that I was in a dead-end job. Not from a career advancement perspective, but from a mental and emotional perspective. Sadly, as I climbed the corporate ladder, how I felt about what I spent time doing each day tanked in inverse proportion.

To pick up where I left off, in late 2013, things were okay. I was in a role I'd been doing for about 18 months, and I was mentally ready to move on. It's fascinating to consider the kind of advice you get about career trajectory and considerations for how to make a change. It was an integral part of the culture at my company that you could change roles after you'd put in your 18 months. It was seen as an advantageous part of corporate life. Once you got experience doing something, you could jump to something else.

I knew something wasn't quite right. There I was, a little over 9 years into my corporate career, and something was...off. I was struggling with secondary infertility (a post for another time), getting ready to move into a home I had dreamed of, working for a mentor I adored, doing a job that was aligned with what I thought I always wanted, and my general feeling about my daily life was "meh." I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it. And mostly I was bored. And if you know me at all, boredom is the WORST. Thing. Ever.

What's your brand? If you're thinking to yourself, "Huh? I don't have a brand. I'm not selling anything. What?" then let me try putting it this way: How are you showing up?

What are you tolerating? The word is so frequently used that it's easy to forget what it actually means.