Eight years ago, I thought I was crushing it professionally.

Teaching at university ✓

Winning teaching awards ✓

Helping students land great jobs ✓

But something felt... off.

You might relate to this feeling.

Successful in some areas but completely drained in others.

Working harder but not feeling more fulfilled.

Getting recognition but not feeling energized.

That's when I started asking myself different questions.

Not "Am I successful?" but "Am I thriving?"

I created what I now call the 4-Pillar Career Framework.

Because I realized career satisfaction isn't just about one thing.

It's about balance across four areas:

Career Health: How work affects your energy, stress, and life balance

Career Wealth: Financial growth, security, and opportunity advancement

Career Relationships: The connections, mentorship, and community you're building

Career Self: Your skills, confidence, identity, and personal growth

When I audited my own career using these pillars:

At Barrows (retail design):

• Health: Struggling (office politics, long hours)
• Wealth: Good (decent salary, Fortune 500 experience)
• Relationships: Weak (couldn't interact with clients)
• Self: Strong (developing design skills)

Score: 2.5/4 - No wonder I felt restless

Teaching transition:

• Health: Much better (flexible schedule, meaningful work)
• Wealth: Lower initially (salary cut)
• Relationships: Excellent (mentoring, community)
• Self: Growing (learning to teach, building confidence)

Score: 3/4 - Felt much more aligned

The insight hit me: Most career moves focus on just one pillar (usually Wealth or Self).

But sustainable career satisfaction requires all four.

You've probably experienced this misalignment yourself.

Roles that looked great on paper but left you feeling off-balance.

And most career activities actually impact multiple pillars:

• Networking events = Relationships + Self + potential Wealth
• Portfolio work = Self + Wealth + sometimes Relationships
• Strategic role choices = Health + Wealth + Self + Relationships

When I started making decisions considering all four pillars...

I landed at DBS Bank where our team saved 540,000 hours annually. Then NTUC Income where we doubled product performance. Now ContactOut where I'm building something I'm genuinely excited about.

This framework is what we'll use in Thursday's workshop.

Not to judge where you are, but to understand it.

And to see which pillar might unlock everything else.

7:30am SF | 10:30am NY | 3:30pm London | 10:30pm Singapore

Reply "Framework" if you want the details.

Joseph

P.S. The best part? When all four pillars are strong, career opportunities start feeling less like hunting and more like choosing.