#FierceCasts: Short videos on career design after 40 - start here
I don’t care what anyone else says, career change in your 40s or 50s is hard. Choosing to work with a career consultant who deeply understands midlife career issues, from every angle, will make your change easier.
I’ve compiled a growing list of short videos on career change after 40 - from lots of different angles - to give you speedy insights to design your future work to be more enjoyable and satisfying.
Once you’ve watched them, if you’re ready for action, jump on a short call with me, explain your situation and see if I can help you make changes you need (even if you don’t know what you want yet!) more quickly than doing it alone.
If you’re happy where you are, then that’s fine….but as you’re reading this that’s likely not the case… Just one small change in thinking will start you on the road to change. Find out more in the #FierceCasts below.
Are you looking for a new “j-o-b” or designing your next decade of satisfying work?
Sometimes we midlife professionals focus on what’s right in front of our faces i.e. the need to change our work situation. The simple response to this need is to seek out a new job. And that works grand if you find your work satisfying in general - but the current situation is wrong. If you think there is a bigger problem at play a new job might just be kicking the can down the road.
That bigger problem needs a bigger solution. More time to think. To design the right career strategy. And to learn the skills that are required to do work that is deeply satisfying potentially forever.
Strategy. Then tactics.
Articles related to this #fiercecastSick of waiting for the perfect moment when you’ll be “ready” for change?
We humans do not enjoy change. In fact our brains prefer to stay in our familiar - even when that familiar situation is wrong for us. We humans have a habit of making discomfort feel less dangerous that anything else.
But have you ever met anyone who is prefectly ready for change? I’ve not.
And the most common feedback I hear from those who work with me is “I wish I’d done this earlier.”
The human reaction to change is explained in this video.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Gen X - Where can you find meaning, purpose and fulfilment?
“What is it that you want to experience from your working life?”
Cue awkward pauses, shifting uncomfortably in your chair and a drop in voice volume - so no one you know hears your answer.
You know time is running out.
You want to do more meaningful work.
In order to take those first, baby-sized steps towards the change you want…no, need, you need two things.
First step bravery
Alongside powerful vulnerability
Generation X (who are in our 40s and 50s now) have been moulded by big corporations.
We never learned to design our careers.
The only one who will care enough about you, and your career, is you. So only you can design your career. We’re learning how to do this now.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Can you quit your corporate career…without a plan?
When I quit my corporate career without a plan I did 13 things. These are, ultimately, what got me to where I am today. Two of those things were especially helpful.
Deleting the idea of perfectionism from my mind…completely
There’s no denying the fact that each of us is flawed in a million different ways…but are you ok with that? Do you wish you were perfect?
Theoretically, I thought I was ok with this notion, but then the fear, and ‘what ifs’ overtook my thinking, especially surrounding putting my stuff out into the world…in the beginning.
But I had to slay the idea of perfectionism.
Doodling a summary page for every book I read
This was surprisingly helpful.
For every single book I read, I doodled (and continue doodling to this day) a page in my notebook of the main ideas, thoughts, and things to remember from the book. This has been vital, as it’s saved me time, energy, and valuable brain space!
Articles related to this #FierceCast:When did you last feel appreciated at work?
Feeling appreciated at work…it’s a myth…right?
No.
You quite possibly haven’t felt truly valued and appreciated in your work for some time.
At this stage of your career, you don’t have time to work on your weaknesses. Instead, it’s time for you to find out what you need to do to feel truly valued and appreciated.
It’s about time you felt truly valued and appreciated, every day at work! Here’s how.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Do you feel trapped in your self-created golden midlife prison?
As midlifers, it is very common for our work to no longer be as fulfilling or satisfying as it once was, or as we hoped it would be.
But, since most of us spend 60% of our waking hours working, it needs to be!
If you are in your 40’s or 50’s you may feel it is too late to change careers. However, something as simple as a change in your style of thinking regarding your career, can help you make the needed change.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:STOP working on your weaknesses in your midlife career!
As midlifers, we’re too old to still be working on our weaknesses in our careers.
Our work needs to focus on our career strengths, otherwise work life will never be anything more than average.
We need to find our career Superpowers to do work that feels great for us, but also, work that blows the socks off all of our competition!
Following these few suggestions will show you how you can amplify your strengths, so you never have an average day at work again!
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Our generation can’t stop working our 60s - if we live until 90!
My generation, Generation X, will live, and therefore work, longer than any generation before us.
Work is built into our identities, our self-esteem, and our self-worth. So retiring is complicated for us. When we stop working, we lose some of our confidence, sense of value, and purpose.
If you are in your 40s or 50s now and don't think you can do the work that you're doing now for another few decades, think again about career change, or career redesign.
Beyond 40, many professionals think it's hard to change career. While it's not easy, it's very possible. But it’s possible only with the correct model for change.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Career blindfolds - Are you ready to take yours off?
Career blindfolds…they’re much easier to remove than you may think!
This is a concept I use to describe how it felt when I work up in my midlife career, realising I wasn't exactly driving my career in the way I thought. When I took off my career blindfold - things really began to change.
Everyone who tries to remove their career blindfold will likely have a wobble…believe me…I had one! But I then went on to realise that I had become successful, without deliberately designing my career.
However, when I realised I could take hold of my career and design it in a way that felt great, boy was I excited!
I want to help you to feel this exhilaration as well. Removing your blindfold is step 1 on your road to change.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Is your youthful ‘success’ definition keeping you stuck?
You're certainly not alone if you're a midlifer who feels career stuck!
Everyone’s personal definition of ‘success’ is different. Some want to influence, others want to see six digits in their bank account, and some want their actions to result in real change in the world.
Too many of us still measure our success in the same way we did 20+ years ago.
This often becomes a stumbling block for our career happiness. It's time to put a stop to this...once and for all.
What’s your definition of success?
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Will you become 50 year old corporate toast? And how to avoid it.
How many employees are aged 50+ in your organisation?
If you do have some, there are very few, I would suspect! There's a silent growing trend spreading across big corporate organisations - where 50+ year olds are being disappeared.
Organisations turn up the toaster heat settings, so older staff become more noticeable and more vulnerable. These will often be given "specialist roles" or be a part of niche projects. Sound familiar?
I challenge you to prevent yourself from becoming corporate toast by following these simple suggestions.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:How to release yourself from familiar patterns - that keep you stuck
As midlifers, when it comes to change, we often get stuck, wrought with indecision, often ending up staying within our comfort zone. We’ve been doing this for the past 20+ years…it’s not worked up to now, so it’s very unlikely to work in the future.
Releasing ourselves from the familiar is so much easier than you might think.
Experiment with the patterns you use daily.
Researchers have found that understanding, and being able to identify, recurring patterns allows us to make educated guesses, assumptions, and hypotheses; it helps us develop important skills of critical thinking and logic.
Articles related to this #FierceCast:Being employed FULL-TIME into your 60s AND 70s- Is it even possible?
Short answer is yes!
I felt like I was searching for a unicorn when I began seeking out someone who was employed full-time in their 60s…and loved what they did!
It took a while, but I eventually found one…then another…and another.
You can learn from, and imitate, some of these unicorn’s hints and tips surrounding their career longevity. Here are just a few of these suggestions to get you started.
Articles related to this #FierceCast: