One of the interesting things with companies is that, especially early in your career, if you try a bit, you get promoted on a regular basis. Once you get a bit up in the hierarchy, getting promoted gets harder and of course once you reach VP and C-suite levels things become really competitive and you have to bring quite a bit to the table to win at that game. This is all fine and dandy as long as it is the game that you want to play. The problem that I see is that many of the people I meet have been promoted to high-profile roles and seem pretty unhappy about their lives. When I probe a little, the pattern often is something along the lines of reputation and paycheck versus misalignment with ones intrinsic motivators. It is so easy to end up with golden handcuffs and a life that you never wanted for yourself. In my experience, you often notice this especially after a promotion when suddenly the expectations on one go up significantly. I can be a wonderful growth opportunity, but it can also be a confrontational reminder that you’re now expected to do even more of the things that you really don’t want to be doing. So, whether you got promoted recently or not, ask yourself whether you are living the life you want for yourself or if golden handcuffs or complacency are holding you in place?