I have always been passionate about what I do, and that’s why I do it. Even from the beginning of my career I made a pact with myself, that the day that I don’t enjoy what I do, is the day I’ll do something else. Even if that would be a mid-life career change, or an end life one for that matter.
My philosophy is and has always been, do what you’re passionate about, what you love. Tap in to what your real life purpose is and pursue it and you will feel totally fulfilled.
How many people do you know that absolutely love what they do? That can’t wait for Monday mornings?
Or should I ask: How many people do you know that ‘hate’ or ‘don’t enjoy’ what they do and can’t stand Mondays?
It’s interesting, when I look back over my 17 years as a Career Development specialist I have assisted over 50,000 people from all walks of life move forward in their career. Each time I would always ask the question: ‘what do you love about what you do’ I discovered approx 85% of people said; they didn’t really enjoy the work they did however it paid the bills. It enabled them to pay the rent/mortgage, kids school fees, car etc.
So in effect they felt trapped by the life they’d created, caught in a safety net of better the devil you know, the security it held. So they often sacrificed what they really wanted to do because they felt they were doing the right thing for their partner/children/parents, but not for themselves.
What if we looked at doing the right thing and turned it on its head. What if doing the right thing is to follow your heart, do what’s right for you, live life full-out, and teach your partner/kids and all that you can create anything that you set your mind to, and that you can live life full-out, a life without limits. If you stay trapped doing something that you hate what message are you giving to your children and the rest of the world?
So many of us get handcuffed into a career, or a stay-at-home choice, that we don’t really enjoy, spend 2/3 of our life, from the age of 21 through to 60, approximately 40 years, 40 years doing something we hate; why? When did we decide to settle? When did we give up on the dream life? At 5 years old the sky is the limit; ask a 5 year old what they want to be when they grow up and just listen to what they say. There’s no limits. They’ll say things like they want to be a footballer, an astronaut, a rock star, an actor or a doctor. At what point did we shrink our dream to fit our circumstances?
I guess it comes back to where in life are we settling?
- Are you settling in your career? In your personal relationships? With your health & well-being? Or with your finances?
Chances are, if you settling in one aspect of your life, you’re more than likely settling in others
- Ask yourself right now where am I settling in my life?
Get clear on where you’re settling and draw a line under it no matter how big or small it is. And then get clear on what you want to create for yourself in your life. Maybe it’s a new career, or relationship, or making more money or getting fit or losing weight or just having better health.
Whatever it is for you.
The good news is – it’s a decision you make. You can make decisions at any point to change your circumstances.
When you know what you want to create for yourself set a course, step by step and go after it. Engage https://premier-pharmacy.com/product/propecia/ back in life and live it on your terms.
Inspiring real-life stories of mid-life career changes
I thought it would be useful to share a few examples of where people have drawn a line under where they’re at and decided to go after what they love . I share these examples in the hope they can inspire you to go on and create whatever it is your heart desires.
Lola is a close friend of mine and I’ve known her for 15 years. In her early career she fell in to an accounts job and just drifted with it. She didn’t enjoy it however it was a job and paid the bills. We often talked about how unfulfilled she was, how she hated what she did and dreaded doing another reconciliation, financial analysis or credit control. She just felt it wasn’t the right space for her. As time went by she continued to work in accounts and felt the only way she could progress and make more money was to take an ACCA qualification and become professionally qualified. She did it. She moved jobs a few times, hoping new companies would inspire her on to greater things, it didn’t happen. It sapped her energy even more. Lola was now a professionally qualified accountant aged 35 with 14 years experience making a good income and still felt unfulfilled.
Lola had always wanted to be an Actor. She was passionate about it and knew it was what she really wanted to do. It was her dream.
For 14 years she parked her dream, she didn’t follow her heart she opted for a more conventional route.
Last week I got a call from her to say she had an audition for an Acting School. A few days later I got a call to say she got it. She has started her journey and couldn’t be happier.
Mary is from Croatia and educated in the US. She has a stellar education and 15 years track record of success in investment banking having worked with some of the world’s leading investment banks. When she graduated she didn’t really know what she wanted to do. She did a business & economics degree and did very well. She was hired by a top investment bank. Fifteen years later she didn’t know where the time had gone, it was a whirlwind. She had progressed well, worked out of Wall Street and the City in London and was making a lot of money however she didn’t feel fulfilled. Mary decided to take a career break, to “come up for air” to get clear on who she was and what she wanted to create for herself. She had never taken a break from her career before. It was the best thing she ever did. She soon realized that her high-end banking career was not what she wanted for the second part of her career. She wanted to work more one on one with people and really make a difference. Mary is now working successfully in a Business & Personal leadership business that transforms the lives of many.
My advice to you is don’t waste another second doing what you hate. Start creating the life you deserve. Go get your mid-life career change and take some action today.
Author: Helen Roberts – Career Development Expert
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I really enjoyed this article. I’ve been a lawyer since 1998 and have had moments when I’ve really enjoyed it, but have never felt that it was absolutely the right career for me. About 4 years ago I moved into a legal publishing role, but found the enivronment difficult and stressful and had an expensive commute to London. As a sixth-former I worked in a library and have often wondered if librarianship would have suited me better. In March this year events serendipitiously allowed me to leave my old job and take up a part-time job in a library. I am still writing about the law on the side and am much happier than I was in my old job, despite earning much less. I had thought I was trapped in my old job because of the salary, but I’ve now realised that you can live with a lot less. My advice to anyone would be if you want to make a career change, go for it.
Helen, Thanks so much for sharing your story, it might just be what helps someone else do the same thing. Yours certainly is a big brave step!
It’s amazing how you can live off less income too, actually. Having a parent around is invaluable to a child, perhaps you don’t need to have a big house, or perhaps there are other things you can save on, here’s some tips on how to do just that when you start earning less:
https://www.mumandcareer.co.uk/resources/can-you-sustain-your-lifestyle-when-one-income-falls-away/