[wallabie]

Sorta unrelated but I wanted to join in on everyone reflecting on their athletic careers:

I worked at a mid-tier consulting firm as my first job and had an incredible work-life balance. I ran 3-4 times a week and cycled twice a week. I got into triathlons and even completed a 24hr obstacle race challenge where you had to complete a 11km course with ~40 obstacles as many times as possible in 24 hours. I completed it 8 times. I was fit.

A few years later I moved into a top-tier consulting firm and my work-life balance evaporated. (I also picked up a girlfriend along the way.) I'm lucky to get one gym session and one run in a week. I participate in probably only 1 or 2 races a year (instead of the usual 5-7 before I joined). I'm miserable. I only realised in the last few months how important training and being fit is to my identity and that even being successful in a "prestigious" consulting firm is an insufficient salve for the wound. Especially since my "peak" probably lies somewhere in my mid-30s, which are only a few years away for me, I really want to pick up where I left off. I can't wait to find another job now and find that part of myself again.

[monero-xmr]

Nothing is preventing you from finding a new job. Life is not an axis, where doing one thing necessarily takes away from another. Rather it is a polygon, with a number of points equal to the factors important to your existence.

[saiya-jin]

Exactly same here (6-7 hard workouts per week - running, free weights, climbing, weekends spent on long hikes, ski touring etc), but evaporation of workout was mainly due to covid and WFH, and becoming parent (that's a proper black hole for any free time, even if you are unemployed). Also 2 pretty bad injuries last year (wrist and ankle). It got me pretty depressed and I am not yet out of woods completely.

If you find these kind of passions in life, corporate work world is just necessary evil distraction to get money to actually live and do what you want. Which I am fine with, but around me I see very few people with similar passions in their lives.

One dangerous thing I noticed - with diminishing number of trainings, my mindset also changed a bit. Getting motivation for workouts got harder, motivation to push myself a bit is lower. I actually could find more time if I tried harder. At least it goes both ways - increasing frequency brings it back, which is great now since I can run outside in the forest and it gets dark later.

[ChatGTP]

One of the most inspiring comments on here.

Good luck and wish you the best getting back to a happier place.

I’ve been in a similar situation before and I was never happier.

[johndhi]

Powerful realization.