If you dread work, sit in meetings wondering if this is all there is, and don’t enjoy being there, isn’t this a good time to look at how you could improve your well-being?
There are plenty of reasons why finding a new career or lifestyle as you approach 50 might seem an unattainable dream. Perhaps it feels as though it’s only younger people or braver people who do that.
Many of us are of a generation which has adopted a life story: that we are destined for a career for life. In fact, as we age our values will change, as will our personal circumstances. It takes a bit of exploration to establish who we are now and what’s going to be best for us, but it is possible.
Perhaps you’d like the choice of where and when you work. Maybe your career is now completely out of step with who you have become. What are your strengths, and are you playing to them?
Nobody is pretending it’s easy, and I wouldn’t advocate making the leap without a plan.
It’s important to examine what you want in terms of financial reward and how you’d like your days to look. What have you loved doing before which could help you really engage with work and life to the full?
Once you have your vision for a more fulfilling future, plan a roadmap. You might be in a position to set up a business. Or perhaps you need the stepping stone of a part-time job to give you time to do that. Can you re-train while working in the job you’re doing? Do you want to reduce your hours and move to home-working, or continue to do so after lockdown ends?
Whatever your circumstances, you don’t have to stay stuck in the rut. You can find more balance and do what you love.
Cathy Brown - Coach 