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Change your career in midlife? One
catalyst of midlife crisis is a life not truly aligned with your present
shifting values. You no longer
find fulfillment in the same things you did when you were younger because your
values may have shifted and this disconnection contributes to a sense of midlife
crisis.
In midlife you may begin to feel bored with your
job and start to think about making a career change. You may also notice yourself feeling irritable, frustrated
and even depressed in your current job. These negative feelings may be a result of thinking
about what you have given up by pursuing your current career. You may start remembering the dreams
you have left behind.
So now what
do you do? Should you change
careers?
Two
Exercises to Help you with your Decision
1. The following five questions are based
on a model created by Linda and Sandra Perosa. Ask your self these questions:
What would it mean for me if I did not make a
change?
Are there serious risks if I do change?
Am I being realistic to hope to find a better
solution?
Is there adequate time to search and implement a
change?
Take some time to consider the above questions and
write your answers in a journal.
It may help you to get your thoughts down on paper so you can thoroughly
address each issue.
2. The following is another exercise* I
use with my life coaching clients that you may find helpful. On a scale of 1-10 rate yourself for
each of the following. 10 being
the strongest and 1 being the weakest:
How willing you are to do what you need to do to
make this career change.
How strong is your belief in your ability to plan
the steps necessary to make this change?
Do you feel you have control over making this
change?
Are there people in your life who will support
this change?
Is your decision to change careers your own
decision?
After you have assigned a rating pick one of these
areas to address and see if you can do something over the next week to raise
the score ½ point. So if you rated
number three a 5 is there something you can do this week to make it a 5.5? How
can you increase your control over this change?
The Enemy – The Negative Chatterer If you decide to take steps toward
creating a new career you will notice the old familiar voice of the negative
chatterer trying to stop you. The
negative chatterer may come from within or without. The external negative chatterer may be a family member or
friend who has always been afraid of change and has tried to hold you back in
the past. Find someone who
supports your decision.
The internal negative chatterer is also an old
familiar friend who rears his ugly head every time you try to move
forward. You may fear failure or commitment. It is also possible for old negative
feelings from childhood to rear up and to try to stop you by telling you that
you are not good enough or smart enough to make this change. Speak back to those negative thoughts
and think back to a time when you broke through the barriers and succeeded.
Let me know how you are doing!
References: *Heppner, Mary (1998). The Career
Transitions Inventory: Measuring Internal Resources in Adulthood. Journal of Career Assessment Vol. 6 Number
2
Perosa, L & Perosa, M. (1997). Assessments for
Use with Mid-Career Changers. Journal of Career Assessment Vol. 5, Number 2.
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