Hi there Reader,
Welcome to this edition of Meaningful eMail with the most recent takeaway and updates linked here at the top, and then a full article for your consideration.
Grab what's helpful today, then save others for future reference. You never know when you or someone in your network could use a boost!
Recent Takeaways & Updates
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Top Takeaway: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
One of the most talked about non-fiction books of the past year - is it worth the buzz?
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Podcast Guest Appearance Uploading
Excited to be a part of The Maturepreneur Podcast with a guest appearance that's being released August 19 at 10am Eastern! Search on your favorite podcast app or watch it on The Maturepreneur Network.
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Let's Explore
The end of the career path
What happens when the path we’re on takes some unexpected twists and turns, hits a dead end?
Back in the woods behind our house, there are quite a few trails made by our horse Star, a little family of deer, skunks, raccoons, the occasional coyote or fox. When I’m feeling a little adventurous, I’ll put on my big rubber boots - they help me feel more courageous if I were to meet a snake, a soggy bog or a stand of poison ivy - and follow these trails.
It’s pretty cool to see how well-defined these game trails are. I’m fascinated about how they come to be: how does Star put her hooves in the EXACT same place day in and day out? How do all these different wild animals follow one particular trail?
Just some random thoughts as I truck right along enjoying the sights and sounds, feeling pretty bold and brave out in the woods, with a clear vision of where I’m going.
Every now and then though, there are times when the game trails just seem to vanish. What had been a clear path with nothing blocking the way is now just a wall of dense, thorny brush. Vines are criss-crossing, brambles are popping out from the dirt like the seeds on a Chia Pet TV ad. My feel-good moment comes to a screeching halt. My brave and bold attitude wilts into cowardly confusion.
Now, replace “game trail” with “career path” and you might recognize a scenario you or someone you know is experiencing: confusion when an enjoyable, well-traveled career path comes to an end.
Career Confusion
What just happened? I thought I was doing great! Did I take a wrong turn? I don’t see a way forward, but I know this isn’t the end. Surely I’m not stuck here for another twenty years? What options do I have?
Now that we’re living longer and we have way more options for how and where we can earn income, the well-traveled career path seems to be well short of our destination. It was a good path to follow as we built our families and households, creating safe & secure livelihoods and lifestyles, but so many of us are feeling there’s way more yet to do. Potential yet to be realized, itches yet to be scratched, causes yet to be supported, creativity yet to be expressed.
Beyond The Career Path
For those of us who are wanting rich, full lives - that meaningful second half I keep going on about - we’ve got to blaze our own trails beyond that well-traveled career path. It means stepping into those brambles, hacking at ‘em with tools we’ve collected & sharpened through the years.
These trails we blaze can take whatever shape we want. We can take our needs, (things like location and financial stability) and our wants (things like exploring new skills or a new line of work) to carve a path that’s right for us. It doesn’t have to be a hard pivot, quitting a stable job or burning it all down to the ground as someone mentioned to me recently. It’s amazing really, all these options we have.
Here are some paths worth exploring:
- Starting a side business
- Job crafting (doing what you can at your current job to make it more engaging)
- Volunteering in an area you want to learn more about
- Going part-time while taking classes
- Job shadowing / internship (yep, there are internships for older workers!)
Some tools needed to carve those paths:
- Courage to try new things
- An open & curious outlook
- The reason(s) why we want to move forward
- Solid understanding of our strengths, values & purpose
Obstacles to watch out for:
- Other people's opinions
- Attachment to titles, status, power
- Fear of failure
- Limiting beliefs
A New Destination
So why even go through all that trouble to explore new trails, to try this thing, and then maybe another? What's the point when it means being scared and vulnerable?
Your growth is a beautiful gift to yourself, your loved ones and your community.
You have these amazing talents & traits, combined with a deep wisdom gleaned from your experiences, which are yours and yours alone. When you use these, they get sharper; you get stronger, more resilient and confident, able to weather the changes life throws at you with a steady strength.
You might be at the end of the well-traveled career path, but you hear a waterfall beyond those brambles. Get your tools out and carve a path. One that works for you and yours. And when you want to get those tools sharpened and scout those obstacles, let's get some coaching sessions lined up for you!
