Welcome

Almost a year ago now, I was unemployed seeking a new job and a next step in my career. I was in the middle of multiple major life changes, feeling stuck trying to figure out what it was that I really wanted.

I was working with a professional life coach and when she asked what was most important to me in my next position, all I could really think was “I just want to do cool shit”.

Not chase meaningless promotions or mindlessly climb the corporate ladder. I was most focused on working on interesting projects that engaged, excited, and challenged me.

That simple sentence became the seed for Off the Ladder. Learn more about how Off the Ladder got started.

Every week, this newsletter explores what it means to redefine success on your own terms — not by your job title or number of promotions. Inspired by philosophies like Ikigai, Stoicism, and a healthy dose of rebellious energy, Off the Ladder is for anyone who feels like the system just doesn’t fit or that “Do cool shit” is a perfect career purpose statement.

Main Idea

If you've ever felt like you're the problem — unmotivated, scattered, ungrateful — maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong direction.

Maybe the problem isn’t you.
Maybe it’s the system that was never designed for your fulfillment in the first place.

From the moment we enter school, we’re trained to color inside the lines. We’re funneled into a structure that values test scores over curiosity, productivity over creativity, and credentials over character.

And that doesn’t end with graduation. Upon entering the workforce, we’re encouraged to chase promotions, performance reviews, and padded resumes. We idolize six-figure job offers and job titles that fit neatly on a LinkedIn headline.

And yet, something still feels off.

Here’s the thing:

This system rewards ladder-climbing.

But what if you were never meant to be on the ladder in the first place? What if your success isn’t in the next promotion, but in rediscovering what truly moves you?

You need the freedom to build something that matters, to define success on your own terms, and to do work that actually feels like you.

For some people, this might look like a career pivot. For others, it’s starting a side hustle, quitting a toxic job, or finally writing that book you’ve been putting off. And sometimes, it’s simply a mindset shift in how you approach what matters to you most at work.

The world needs more people who are willing to step off the ladder and start building something better.

This is your invitation.

Ditch the Metrics

Burn the business scorecard – focus on what matters!

While the linked article above from the National CIO Review paints a picture of “crisis” with the one point drop in engagement year-over-year according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report, let’s take a step back. Only 31% of employees in the United States, and 21% of global employees, report feeling engaged at work. Said a different way, in a room with 10 random working Americans, only 3 of them will feel engaged with their work.

Only 3 out of 10 random working Americans are feeling engaged in the activity they are spending most of their waking hours on Monday through Friday.

Maybe the job is just a job, and is simply a means to provide for your needs and allow for time spent on other more engaging extracurricular activities. Or maybe measuring corporate engagement strictly as a means to extract more productivity from employees is the problem.

Ditch it: Employee engagement surveys are ubiquitous these days, but productivity is not your purpose. More often than not however, finding more meaningful work will make you more productive. Define your own success; don’t let the broken system define it for you.

Reframe This

 A quick thought-flip to help shift how you see your work, your worth, or your path.

Old Belief: If I’m unhappy at work, I must be in the wrong role — or maybe I’m just not good enough.

New Perspective: The system was never built for your fulfillment. You’re not broken. The corporate ladder is.

Rung Breaks

A curated mix of tools, links, books, and ideas to help you step off the ladder and into your own path.

📚 Book: Life on Purpose: How Living for What Matters Most Changes Everything - Victor J. Stretcher

✍️ Article: “Our Career Checklist is Broken. But It’s Not a Rebellion. It’s a Rethink.” – Ritika Das

🎧 Podcast: “The 3 Things That Make Work Meaningful” - Career Contessa

🎨 Inspiration: The system was never broken. It was built this way.

Your Move

A reflection and challenge to help you break out of autopilot and make real change.

Reflection Prompt:

Challenge:

Until Next Time…

If this resonated, hit reply and let me know. How have you redefined success for yourself?

Be sure to forward this to a friend who’s wondering if there’s more than the daily 9-5 grind of unfulfilling work.

The ladder was never the goal.

Off the Ladder is.

— Sean Sirianni

Founder, Off the Ladder

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