The Spark

Recently I have been working with several clients in their mid to late 40s who have reached very senior positions in their careers. From the outside, everything looks successful. Strong careers. Leadership roles. Financial stability. Respect from peers.

And yet, during our conversations, a similar sentence keeps appearing: “I just don’t feel that fire anymore.” That small spark inside — the one that once drove them forward — feels dim or gone.

What they are describing is something I can relate to far too well.

One of the reasons I eventually left a job that I truly loved for many years was exactly this realisation: my own spark had quietly disappeared. Some people call it a mid-life crisis. Others say it is simply the natural evolution of a long career. But I often wonder something different.

What if it were actually possible to keep that spark alive throughout a career, without sacrificing joy and fulfilment for comfort and stability?

Over the years I have had the privilege of working with many leaders.

Some of them managed to keep their spark alive. You could see it in the way they spoke about their work, their teams, and their clients. They genuinely cared. Leadership was not just a role for them — it was personal. The decisions they made carried personal accountability. The people they developed were their personal investment.The organisations they helped build mattered deeply to them. Their energy was contagious. Their presence inspired the people around them. Their faith in the future gave confidence to others who had lost it. And their ideas were worth following.

But I have also seen the opposite. Leaders who lost their spark somewhere along the way.

For them, leadership became simply the next step after many years of tenure and past achievements. A title. A position. A source of stability and income. They were still effective. They were often even successful. But something was different. The work was no longer personal. The energy had changed. And somehow, in their presence, the journey no longer felt as inspiring.

Every time I observed these two types of leaders, I found myself asking a simple question:

What kind of leader am I becoming? Did comfort, stability, and accumulated success slowly dim my own spark? Or is it possible to keep that fire alive — even after decades of work?

The questions

In moments of reflection, I often return to a very simple structure. A few questions that allow me to have an honest conversation with myself, and with my clients.

What part of my work truly brings me joy?

That moment during your day — or maybe during your week — when something happens and you feel a quiet warmth inside. A feeling somewhere between your heart and your stomach. And a small voice inside says:

“This is why I love my job.”

How often do I experience that feeling today — compared to the time when my fire was strong?

Is it still present every week?Every month? Or has it slowly become rare?

And perhaps the most important question of all: When did it change?

Because losing the spark rarely happens overnight. It usually fades slowly — almost unnoticed — while we continue moving forward with responsibilities, expectations, and routines. Until one day we suddenly realise: Something that once gave us energy now simply feels… neutral.

Where the real work begins

And this is where the real work begins. Because once we start asking ourselves honest questions, a few more difficult ones inevitably follow.

How can I create more of those joyful moments in my work? What do I need to welcome back into my routine? And perhaps even more importantly:What do I need to let go of?

Is it a role that no longer energises me? A responsibility that slowly drained my curiosity? A routine that once felt meaningful but now feels automatic?

Reigniting the spark rarely happens by accident. It requires awareness, courage, and intentional change. Sometimes the change is big — a new direction, a new chapter. But often it begins with something much simpler: Reconnecting with the parts of our work that once made us feel alive, curious, and engaged.

The hardest question

There is another question I sometimes ask my clients. What if work is simply… work?

What if the spark is meant to exist somewhere outside of our professional life?

This question is often the most difficult one. It is usually followed by a long pause. A heavy sigh. Because for many successful professionals, work has gradually taken up such a large part of their lives that the space outside of it has quietly disappeared. And when that happens, the stakes become very high. If work is the only place where we expect to find meaning, excitement, and purpose, then losing that spark can make the entire rhythm of life feel flat. A routine without real highs or lows.

Which is why it becomes even more important to consciously build a life that feels meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable — both inside and outside of work.

Because when work becomes the only source of energy in our lives, losing the spark there can feel like losing everything.

So here’s a question I often ask myself — and now I’m curious about you:

Where do you currently feel your spark the most…in your work, outside of it, or are you still searching for it?