Are you a mid-career woman who has worked on your “okay” job for years? Have you had to put your passion and dream on hold as you focus on the job that paid the bills? Now however, obligations have taken a new dimension and you suddenly feel ready to embark on something new, something that fulfills you. What now?
Here are 3 ways to pursue your dream:
Check Your Mindset
The first way to breakfree, is to breakfree your mind. Many mid-career women are plagued by fear as they see the younger, hip workers with their take-charge attitude, and wonder how they could ever compete. These younger workers are not only hip in the way they dress, but also because of their versed knowledge of technology. These thoughts can strike fear and make it difficult for mid-career women to pursue their dream, which may include seeking for promotion. The truth is that a lot of these feelings are just stories we tell ourselves, which can sometimes become self-fulfilling prophecies.
What to do instead is to acknowledge the fear that you feel. Assess, which part of it is true, and which is not, and determine what to do about the part that is true. The truth is that senior management is looking for effective workers who would deliver, whether young or slightly older workers. Fear is not all together bad, but should motivate you than paralyze you.
Determine What You Want to Do
It would be important to determine what you really want to do. You do not want to go from a bad work situation to another. Make a list of what you like to do and the skills you have and come up with a job that meets your dream and skills. Many times we fail to assess our desires against our skills, and end up in similar or worse place than where we were. In the early years of their career, some women, depending on their life's situations, may find themselves settling for jobs that may not truly fulfill them, but which seems the best at the time. Some women take on jobs, because they feel they do not have the skills nor the qualifications for better jobs. Sometimes a woman settles because she is giving her significant other the priority to build his dream, while she puts her own dream aside in order to take care of the household.
It usually hits women that it is about time for them to think about themselves, and do what fulfills them, after the children have grown and about to leave the house to start their own life, and the husband is far gone in his career, although they may have both gone into the workforce as your professionals around the same time. When they finally realize that it is time for them to think about themselves and do what fulfills them, they may find it difficult to define that life they really want in order to pursue it. Sometimes, they are still plagued by guilt, or by stories that tell them that they don't deserve. It is often a lot to workshop through their minds, and to get to the point of knowing what they really want. Knowing what one really wants is what helps determine how to pursue it.
Take Charge
When you make a determination of the life you really want, either on your own or through the help of a coach, you are in more control of the situation than you realize. Often the realization can be so overpowering that it might lead you to berate yourself and be caught in the web or guilt. This is the time to shake off the negative feelings and take charge to craft the life you really want. Acknowledge the fear, guilt, or whatever the feeling you might be having, but let it motivate you to pursue the life you want. Take charge of your life, and seek for help when you need it. The danger is that women tend to adjust to their situations, even negative ones, and become complacent. It is often hard sometimes to see the blind spots. This is when you may need the help of a coach. Take charge today and breakfree in order to start living the life that fulfills you.