Am I building my own career or just serving my boss's vision?

You spend your days making someone powerful more powerful, and you have started to wonder where that leaves you. It is a fair question. Standing close to a big vision can feel like standing in a shadow — you are essential, but hard to see, even to yourself. Here is the thing worth seeing clearly: the skills you use to lift their work are real, and they are yours. Reading people, steadying chaos, making hard calls — you keep those no matter whose name is on the door. Amplifying someone else is not wasted time if you are honest about what you are learning and what you want next. So get honest. Write down what you want your own work to stand for in a few years. Then look at your days and ask if they are moving you toward it or just away from it. If the answer is drift, start one small project or relationship that is truly yours. You can serve a great leader and still keep building yourself. The trick is doing both on purpose.