The Doughnut Philosophy: A Career Mindset That Changes How You See Your Work Life

Over the years, we’ve spoken with hundreds of candidates about their careers and noticed a pattern that transcends industry, seniority, and background. So many talented professionals get stuck focusing on what’s missing rather than what’s already there.

So when we came across a motivational piece by Sally Gunnell, the former British Olympic track athlete and now motivational speaker and TV presenter, about a simple outlook called the Doughnut Philosophy, it struck a chord immediately. It offered a genuinely useful framework for thinking about careers, and about life more broadly.

The hole or the doughnut?

Picture a doughnut. You can fixate on the hole in the middle: what’s absent, what’s lacking, what’s gone wrong. Or you can appreciate the doughnut itself, the substance, the flavour, what’s actually present and satisfying. Both perspectives are looking at the same thing, but the experience of each is entirely different. Where you place your attention makes all the difference.

Applying the Doughnut Philosophy to Your Career

We regularly meet candidates who lead with everything that’s wrong with their current role.

“I didn’t get the promotion I was promised.” “My manager doesn’t recognise my contributions.” “I’m not earning what I’m worth.” “I’m bored and unchallenged.” “There’s no clear progression path.”

These are the holes. They’re real, they’re valid, and they absolutely matter.

But here’s what’s worth evaluating: what about the doughnut? What about the skills you’re developing every day, even if you don’t realise it? The complex projects building your portfolio of experience? The relationships with colleagues who might become lifelong professional contacts or friends? The flexible working arrangement that lets you collect your children from school or work from home? The learning budget you’re using to upskill? Or simply the stability that lets you pay your bills, take holidays, and sleep soundly without financial anxiety?

When we only see the gaps, we miss the genuine value we’re gaining. We’ve watched candidates leave perfectly good roles chasing the next thing, only to find their new position has its own set of holes. Every job does. The question isn’t whether holes exist; it’s whether the doughnut surrounding them is worth having.

This doesn’t mean settling for less than you deserve, or staying somewhere that makes you miserable. Ambition matters, growth matters, and sometimes a role genuinely isn’t right for you. But before making a move, ask yourself honestly: am I leaving because of a genuine misalignment with my values, skills, or career goals, or am I just fixating on the hole whilst ignoring a perfectly good doughnut?

The Doughnut Philosophy in Your Personal Life

Whilst our work is to help you with your professional life, the same principle applies outside work, and this is where the philosophy becomes even more powerful as a holistic outlook. It’s remarkably easy to dwell on what you don’t have: the holiday abroad you can’t afford this year, the relationship status you wish you had, the house deposit that feels impossible to save, the fitness goals you haven’t met.

But what about the doughnut in your personal life? The Sunday roasts with family you’d miss terribly if they weren’t there. The friends who make you laugh until your sides hurt. The small ritual of your morning coffee in your favourite mug. The security of a roof over your head, even if it’s not your dream home. The good health that lets you wake up and face each day. The small moments of contentment in your daily routine that you might be overlooking entirely.

Making the Practical Shift

The Doughnut Philosophy isn’t about toxic positivity or pretending problems don’t exist. It’s not about gaslighting yourself into contentment when change is genuinely needed. It’s about choosing where to direct your mental energy, and finding balance.

Acknowledge the holes. Understand them. Analyse whether they’re dealbreakers and make conscious decisions about whether and when to address them. But don’t let them consume your entire field of vision. Don’t let the absence of something define your experience more than the presence of everything else.

The doughnut, the actual substance of your life and career, is what nourishes you, sustains you, and gives you the foundation to pursue growth and change when the time is right.

We’ve seen candidates transform their outlook simply by shifting this perspective. They don’t necessarily change jobs or circumstances immediately, but they change how they experience their current reality. And often, that shift in perspective clarifies what truly matters and what genuine changes would be worthwhile, versus what’s just fixation on an inevitable gap.

So, What Are You Doing?

Whether you’re considering a career move or simply reflecting on where you are in life, here’s our question for you: are you living in the hole, or are you eating the doughnut?

The answer might just change everything.

If this resonated with you, we’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you’re weighing up a career decision at the moment, get in touch; sometimes an outside perspective is exactly what you need.