Could taking a “step back” help me identify my long-term goals?

I took a pay cut. I'd been managing people for five years, decided to go into an individual contributor role. I think at that point, I wanted to get out of something, and I knew that I wasn't going to find the thing that I really wanted to get into in that escape place. So, instead of trying to find the best thing, the thing I was excited about while I was in that place, I wanted to get myself in the right head space, to be ready for what was next.