“A prescription only works if you take the medicine.”
In project management, we diagnose issues and prescribe fixes every day — but when the issue is ourselves (career burnout, stagnation, loss of motivation), taking our own advice can be harder. I explore this in my latest blog post:
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Aaron, this struck a chord. Diagnosing issues is one thing, but acting on them (especially when you are the issue) is another.
For me, rejuvenating my PM career without changing jobs has come down to two pillars:
1) Professional Development: I regularly set small learning goals to learn about new tools, methodologies, certifications in order to keep growing even in the same role. It can be a short online course, reading a fresh book on leadership, or pursuing a credential. These push me out of comfort zones and spark new ideas.
2) Volunteering: I engage with various volunteering activities because giving back to the profession feels like an accomplishment for me. For example, when I mentor others, I’m constantly surrounded by driven, curious, and high-achieving individuals. Their energy and growth are contagious so it’s hard not to stay motivated when you're helping others succeed. It reminds me why I got into this field in the first place.
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2 replies by Aaron Porter and michele oksa
Oct 08, 2025 5:42 PM
Aaron Porter
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Looks like I've found a kindred spirit. Thanks for your response. I 100% agree.
Oct 23, 2025 9:13 AM
michele oksa
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Rami, I love the volunteering comment. I've been trying to find ways to engage in volunteering/mentoring because I think it helps us use our skills in other ways/areas, and the ability to provide life examples and experiences to others is so valuable.
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Aaron Porter A powerful reminder that project management principles apply just as much to ourselves as to our projects.
The “CareerChecker” metaphor is brilliant, turning the feeling of being stuck into a diagnosable condition we can actually treat. What resonates most is the idea that a prescription only works if you take the medicine: awareness without action changes nothing.
Rejuvenation doesn’t necessarily require a career change.
Sometimes it’s about reframing meaning, rediscovering curiosity, or mentoring others. As project professionals, we talk a lot about lessons learned, but rarely about lives learned.
This post bridges that gap beautifully: we manage projects, yes, but we’re also projects in progress.
In regenerative leadership, rejuvenation starts from within before it can ripple through teams and organizations.
The courage to act on our own advice is what ultimately sustains growth, resilience, and purpose.
What has helped you feel renewed and re-energized in your project management journey?
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1 reply by Aaron Porter
Oct 08, 2025 5:47 PM
Aaron Porter
...
Luis, Rami's response does a good job of giving my answer. Mentoring/coaching, volunteering with my local chapter (when I have time), and interacting with others at chapter events (which seems odd considering how much of a homebody I can be). I also enjoy learning new things that I can apply in solving problems or accomplishing objectives and sharing that with others to help them grow.
It's not the day-to-day aspects of managing projects, it's realizing outcomes and objectives that helps keep things fresh.
Aaron, this struck a chord. Diagnosing issues is one thing, but acting on them (especially when you are the issue) is another.
For me, rejuvenating my PM career without changing jobs has come down to two pillars:
1) Professional Development: I regularly set small learning goals to learn about new tools, methodologies, certifications in order to keep growing even in the same role. It can be a short online course, reading a fresh book on leadership, or pursuing a credential. These push me out of comfort zones and spark new ideas.
2) Volunteering: I engage with various volunteering activities because giving back to the profession feels like an accomplishment for me. For example, when I mentor others, I’m constantly surrounded by driven, curious, and high-achieving individuals. Their energy and growth are contagious so it’s hard not to stay motivated when you're helping others succeed. It reminds me why I got into this field in the first place.
Looks like I've found a kindred spirit. Thanks for your response. I 100% agree. Saving Changes...
Aaron Porter A powerful reminder that project management principles apply just as much to ourselves as to our projects.
The “CareerChecker” metaphor is brilliant, turning the feeling of being stuck into a diagnosable condition we can actually treat. What resonates most is the idea that a prescription only works if you take the medicine: awareness without action changes nothing.
Rejuvenation doesn’t necessarily require a career change.
Sometimes it’s about reframing meaning, rediscovering curiosity, or mentoring others. As project professionals, we talk a lot about lessons learned, but rarely about lives learned.
This post bridges that gap beautifully: we manage projects, yes, but we’re also projects in progress.
In regenerative leadership, rejuvenation starts from within before it can ripple through teams and organizations.
The courage to act on our own advice is what ultimately sustains growth, resilience, and purpose.
What has helped you feel renewed and re-energized in your project management journey?
Luis, Rami's response does a good job of giving my answer. Mentoring/coaching, volunteering with my local chapter (when I have time), and interacting with others at chapter events (which seems odd considering how much of a homebody I can be). I also enjoy learning new things that I can apply in solving problems or accomplishing objectives and sharing that with others to help them grow.
It's not the day-to-day aspects of managing projects, it's realizing outcomes and objectives that helps keep things fresh.
...
1 reply by Luis Branco
Nov 17, 2025 10:44 AM
Luis Branco
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Thanks, Aaron I really appreciate your practical take on this.
What you shared reflects something essential: action creates energy.
What I’ve found, though, is that small moments of reflection amplify that energy, even a brief pause to reconnect with purpose or meaning before jumping into the next task.
The doing keeps us moving; the being keeps us aligned.
When those two come together, rejuvenation becomes sustainable.
Curious: has there been a moment in your journey where a small shift in focus — internal or external — made a noticeable difference?
Socializing with like-minded professionals has continually rejuvenated my passion for project management. Saving Changes...
Marcy BrunerIT Operations| LMT Technology SolutionsCanandaigua, Ny, United States
For me, I had the absolute genuine luck to meet a leader that had a flavor for building and loved my natural ability to organize and drive work. Every time she started a new build (IT, Enterprise Risk Management, M&A), she took me with her for the build and I got to use my project management in so many different ways and with different stakeholders.
I find it fascinating to work with new teams of people that haven't tackled work together in a project environment and each time we built, we got that chance. Saving Changes...
michele oksaBusiness Operations Program ManagerWi, United States
Oct 08, 2025 11:05 AM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
Aaron, this struck a chord. Diagnosing issues is one thing, but acting on them (especially when you are the issue) is another.
For me, rejuvenating my PM career without changing jobs has come down to two pillars:
1) Professional Development: I regularly set small learning goals to learn about new tools, methodologies, certifications in order to keep growing even in the same role. It can be a short online course, reading a fresh book on leadership, or pursuing a credential. These push me out of comfort zones and spark new ideas.
2) Volunteering: I engage with various volunteering activities because giving back to the profession feels like an accomplishment for me. For example, when I mentor others, I’m constantly surrounded by driven, curious, and high-achieving individuals. Their energy and growth are contagious so it’s hard not to stay motivated when you're helping others succeed. It reminds me why I got into this field in the first place.
Rami, I love the volunteering comment. I've been trying to find ways to engage in volunteering/mentoring because I think it helps us use our skills in other ways/areas, and the ability to provide life examples and experiences to others is so valuable. Saving Changes...
michele oksaBusiness Operations Program ManagerWi, United States
Aaron, this article really resonated with me. It’s easy to become comfortable in our roles and processes, to fall into “autopilot mode” where we’re efficient but not necessarily engaged. Over time, that comfort can quietly dull the sense of challenge and joy that originally drew us to our work.
I think there’s great value in taking a step back to reexamine what we do and how we do it. Being open to reengineering our approaches, whether through fresh ideas, new technologies, or simply a different mindset can reignite that spark and help us grow both personally and professionally.
Project & PMO Manager | Research & Enterprise Mentor| GFB HoldingSouth America, Brazil
My focus is on aligning with purpose to reduce daily stress. While there are inevitably moments, or even seasons, when we do things we don't enjoy, once we discover our life's true purpose, grit emerges easily.
Living in the middle of the woods, surrounded by nature in remote Northern Canada, has been my greatest reset button. Whenever work feels heavy, I escape on a long hike, sometimes on a quiet road trip through endless forests. Those moments of silence help me breathe, reflect, and realign my career with my bigger purpose.
My why is too strong to let challenges stop me. And I’m lucky to have the right people around me, my energy filters. They absorb the negativity and pour back positivity, leaving me grounded, renewed, and ready again.
Talking to a Mentor or a community elder has been helpful. Older people have a magic perspective that moves mountains.
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