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it’s never too late: career possibilities

May 3, 2017 by

Are you still waiting for your dream career or are you there? You know it when you have it. It may not be perfect, but it feeds your purpose and curiosity. It’s easier to know when you aren’t there. You may have more of the “not there” experiences or ones that started out well, but soured over time.

Perhaps what you wanted at 30 is not what you are wanting today. Your interests have taken a detour along with your priorities. Or you regret never really going after that ideal passion. Instead you’ve worked for financial well being, not to feed your spirit. Is it too late? Will you stay with the familiar? Or is it time for a change?

Many ingredients go into a change, two being readiness and courage. Where you work cannot be too comfortable. There needs to be a reason for change, more than you just want something new. You need to be hungry, willing to risk and curious about answering that call.

Shon Hopwood’s life started off poorly until he found work he was good at and enjoyed. Disinterested in college, Shon fell into robbing banks and served time in prison. There he unexpectedly found a passion and purpose. Eventually Shon worked his way into a career he loves as a Georgetown University Law Professor and a cause he believes in. Shon helps the less fortunate and is committed to reforming criminal sentencing.

In a way Shon fell into a field that was vital to him and his prison community. He learned to improve his life. Now on the outside he continues to help that community and teach law students to do the same.

Think of the areas you are attracted to due to personal or family experiences. A teacher who hated school but wants to improve it for others. A physician whose parent suffered from a chronic illness who wants to heal. A politician who lived in a poor neighborhood who wants to upgrade services for all. An immigrant who began a business and wants to employ newcomers.

What motivates you? What interests you? What are you good at? Every day you are exposed to things that spark your interest and touch your heart. Pay attention. If you stay mired in the same work that no longer serves you, you miss opportunities to charge after something new.

Shon was in a rut and his poor choices landed him in a seemingly hopeless situation. And yet he thrived in the prison library. Soaking up knowledge, writing and helping his colleagues. When he was released, people helped him because they recognized his passions and efforts.

It’s never a waste to work hard and create an meaningful role for yourself. The skills, relationships and experiences gained will asset you in your next chapter. After 15 years Dorothy has risen to management in her organization. She’s noticed for her contributions, but she no longer feels fulfilled. The skills that provide for her financial support don’t excite her anymore. The company’s mission doesn’t touch her heart. She’s feeling stagnant.

But can Dorothy make a change at 55? Is it too late? She can retire in 10 years. Is it best to hold on and wait until then? But what will be different at 65? What will Dorothy design then to have a meaningful life?

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been”

George Eliot

Beginning the inquiry now when you feel the dissatisfaction empowers you toward a solution. Staying stuck is never comfortable. Taking action, any action is an investment in the future.

Dorothy chooses to explore her interests. She notices where her eyes go, how she prefers to spend her time. She finds a theme that repeats, that was nagging her years ago. Sometimes you drop an interest or a talent for good reasons at the time. But now is a new opportunity to pursue something that brings meaning into your life.

Giving yourself permission to create the “just right” life of your dreams is scary. You have been settling for so long, it’s an automatic habit. Defining the direction and ingredients you really want is putting a stake in the ground. Shon knew that convicted felons rarely get a law license, but he went after it anyway. He faced possible failure and won.

You can declare: This is what I want. This is who I am. This is what I believe in. I’m going to do something about it. What if instead of asking, “Is it too late”, you proclaim, “It’s about time”.

Start Now:

Choose this as “your time”
Make your Yes, No, Maybe lists
Find immediate ways to add passion to your day
Hang out with people who share your passions

Take the leap and see you on the path!

Filed Under: Career Transitions, Life Design, Self Knowledge Tagged With: , ,

chasing your dreams: the interim step

March 27, 2017 by

Last month I met several people who traveled near and far to realize one of their dreams. For some it was securing their ideal work. For others it was choosing a lifestyle fit for their souls. How often do you ask, “Am I living my dreams?” No matter what age, you ponder how close you’ve come and what still lies ahead.

Transition points can occur naturally or with effort. You graduate school and move into the work world. You change jobs as you advance in your career. Your children grow up and launch. You create a business. You leave the paid workforce. These transitions shape who you become and reflect on how authentically your path evolves.

An example of a crooked path that represents a life well-lived is Juan. I met Juan, a surfing instructor, in Costa Rica. Before he was able to actualize his dream, Juan’s passion for surfing led him on a detour. Juan grew up in a South American region with economic and political unrest, violence and kidnapping. He felt unsafe and feared for his family’s welfare. Surfing became an interest and escape from the stresses of daily life.

When Juan became an adult, his goal was to move to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As it happened, he went by way of Canada. Frequently, a straight line doesn’t exist to reach your goal. The goals identified in youth are transfigured by the experiences and information you obtain while on the road. At times you may feel totally off course and wonder, “How did I get here and why am I doing this work that doesn’t interest me?” or “Why am I living here or with this person?”

In Juan’s case he went to Canada to live in safety with his sister. He didn’t speak English and didn’t see an opportunity to surf, but a surprise was in store for him. Through his interests, he met a community of people who loved surfing and did it on the Great Lakes! As Juan says, “I didn’t expect to be surfing with ice on my beard”. But he was surfing and learning to teach others and studying English.

Eventually Juan made it to Costa Rica where he has the life of his dreams. He has a wife, a child, his family has joined him and he created his own business. Juan teaches others to use surfing as a means for growth and transformation.

“If you listen to your own inner voice, it will tell you where you are now, and which method will work best for you in your evolution towards the light”

Ram Dass

If you are stuck in a situation that seems not working for you, what are your options? Dissatisfaction leads to feelings of hopelessness and despair. You lose your creativity and positivity. One way to determine where you are is to cherry pick the good parts. Who is special in your community? What skills are you learning? What values are you expressing? What purpose is being shared? Selecting out the opportunities in your current position and viewing this time as a stepping stone help to cherish this moment in your life cycle.

You are never wasting time when you’re in an interim step. This can be a jumping off point for the next, tailor-made situation. Take in whatever you can. Ask what you need to learn and seek possibilities to do it.

So I spent the winter in a surf town. I’m not a surfer, nor did I plan to become one. But I learned from that community and I reveled in the parts that worked for me. I discovered what it means to fight to be in that almost perfect place that makes your heart sing.

Perhaps your community isn’t exactly what you want it to be. Perhaps you aren’t living your values doing precisely what you dreamed, but the experiences can be important. Being flexible, curious and open to possibilities and turns in the road can lead you closer to your authentic life.

Make use of Now:

Create your vision
Enumerate the parts
Check off what you have
What’s missing?
How can you get it now?
How can you make the leap?

Enjoy the curves and see you on the path!

 

Filed Under: Career Transitions, Life Design, Self Knowledge Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

seasons of your career: change you design

November 22, 2016 by

No matter where you are on your Career Life Line, ten years ago it looked different and it may change in the next ten years. Your parents and grandparents probably worked many years at one place. But just as factory and farm jobs have dwindled, 20-30 year long careers are often a thing of the past. Career reinvention has become the norm as we work into our 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

To see how far you’ve come, draw a line across a piece of paper to create a Career Timeline. Start noting work in your teens and progress to today. There may be some non-employment sections where family care, education or sabbaticals were your focus. By analyzing your reactions to each period or season, you can gather information on their personal significance.

What motivates you at 50 is often different than at 25. Unless you live a single life, family influences your decisions: where to work, how intensely, what salary, amount of travel and responsibility. The risks you undertake depend on your responsibilities. If you have only yourself to care for, you may take more chances: go overseas, live simply, change jobs frequently, start a business.

But often in the middle of your life, you have commitments that color your decision making. Maybe it’s children, aging parents, a partner, mortgage or other debts. These are practical obstacles. Unlike obstacles, your motivators call you to follow your passions, grow in expertise, make a difference, become a leader or accumulate a fortune.

When Mark graduated college he felt an urge to see the world. His interest in becoming a financial analyst was intriguing, but the call to leave the U.S. was greater. Combining both was a possibility that Mark investigated. He was able to secure an opportunity in India with an international company. Because he had no ties in the form of partner, children, mortgage or aging parents,  Mark told himself this was his window of opportunity. He could follow the risky path. He took the job and tested out life overseas and India in particular.

When have you taken a fairly risky career jump? I took my first one at 19 by teaching English in Colombia. After a semester abroad, I had 8 months free from college and sought out more experiences. This proved invaluable to me personally and professionally. While I never was a full time educator after that, I have always incorporated teaching into my life work.

“Most things worth doing come with their fair share of risks”
Kirsten Beyer

As Mark aged, his priorities changed. After 5 years he transferred with his company back to the U.S. He had traveled greatly which was invigorating, but he missed his family and friends and wanted to experience life in the U.S. again. The good news was that he had gained expertise and advanced in his company. A low risk change. Over the years, Mark married, raised a family and bought a house. His need for stability grew.

Frequently at midlife the reasons you work are complicated. You may be responsible for others and have serious financial obligations. Your freedom to take large risks is compromised. Much weighs on your decisions. This restriction may feel like a burden that you’d like to throw off. Some people do this through divorce, job termination or drastic moves. Sometimes that works and sometimes not.

What are your options during this responsible period? And what lies after it? Although it may not feel like it now, life gets more simple as you age. If you are fortunate, you launch your children, are financially secure and your health is good. Any of these can go wrong, which complicates the picture and changes your focus temporarily.

But let’s hope that you handle the bumps that come along and eventually end up in a calmer period of time. This is a season when you can again focus clearly on your livelihood and life style. And take a risk.

For Mark he wanted more freedom in his 60’s so he could return to travel and foreign living, so he became an international consultant. For me I wanted to work for myself and also have the flexibility to follow my interests. During 4 years I planned an exit from my main career, including financial planning, career identification and re-training. By 59 I was ready to move on and start a new business. No one was dependent on me, so the risk was mine alone. I had a mortgage, but also a nest egg and significant experience.

The seasons of your careers grow and develop. It’s up to you. You create the scenario partly through your actions and partly by how you handle unexpected life events. The best reminder is that you are the captain of your own ship. If you want change, head in that direction.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done”
Nelson Mandela

Craft your seasons:

Identify your passions
Choose an opportunity for change
Design the needed preparation
Commit on a beginning date

Step outside the box and see you on the path!

Filed Under: Career Transitions, Life Design, Self Knowledge Tagged With: , , , ,

the side job: expressing your passions

January 31, 2016 by

A young college student asked me this week, “Should I study what I like or what will get me a job?” She earnestly wanted me to say, “Study what you love”. Which I did.

Didn’t you start out that way? Picking a path that was calling you. Youth is a time for risks. It’s a time to learn more about yourself. Perhaps along the way you realized you needed skills and experience that would finance you and possibly family in later life. So you found work that paid for housing, food, clothing, fun. But maybe you miss the love you left behind.

That passion or great interest that you experience at one or many times in your life feels almost like play. It is of such significance that you want to experience it endlessly. Maybe it’s in the fields of art, music, writing, history or science. For some reason you react differently when you are in it. It feeds you. You may wonder how did this happen? Other people don’t seem so compelled by my love.

But you are. Maybe for a short time or maybe the fascination stays with you forever. And what if you ignore it? What if you brush it aside as if it’s silly, impractical, not important to your future or survival.

The hard truth is if you ignore it, you’ll rob yourself of an opportunity to express a piece of yourself. You’ll shut off the chance to voice your spirit. And your life will become less because of it.

Many people find a way to have both: they work to pay the bills and also emerse themselves in something they love. Or if you are really fortunate, your career may be something you love. In her book ” The Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear” Elizabeth Gilbert encourages us to answer the call of curiosity and creativity. “Creative fields make for crap careers, but creative living can be an amazing vocation”.

Often it takes maturity and experience to turn a love into a career. Gilbert herself had many writing jobs before her fourth book was so successful she could support herself. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, discovered a way to do both while in college.

“Curiosity is what keeps you working steadily, following that scavenger hunt of curiosity can lead you to amazing, unexpected places”

Elizabeth Gilbert

Another model is to have a main career that provides for your material needs and a side job that fuels your soul. Geneva is a ceramist. Her fine art work is unique and valued by a wide audience including galleries and museums. At one time she supported herself by showing her work at national art shows.The economy was booming and people were decorating their homes and offices. Today is different. Older people are downsizing and younger aren’t spending on art. In order to make a living now Geneva is teaching high school ceramics. She receives satisfaction in mentoring young students and still does her art on the side. She advises her classes not to expect to make a living making pots, but to express their creativity and discover their passions.

Brad is a writer working on his third history book. Since sales of his books don’t support him, Brad works for an association doing technical writing. Both Geneva and Brad continue with their loves of art and writing and have created related careers. Perhaps when their financial resources grow, they can turn their paying careers into the side jobs and give their passions their main attention.

Other people jump into volunteer positions or take classes to have an opportunity to do what they love or to determine what fits. Some choose to use their talents on issues or populations they care for in order to feel a special contribution. The essential point is to feed the part of your soul that puts you in flow. That part that is so intriguing you don’t ever want to stop, the engagement that transforms you.

Find your Side Job:

Identify your interests
Make time to express them
Ask if they can support you
If not find additional work
Continue to grow in your passions

Take the leap and see you on the path!

 

Filed Under: Life Design, Self Knowledge Tagged With: , , ,