From Midlife Crisis
to New Career: A Wake-up Call
by Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
When you're in the middlie of a midlife crisis and
your career is about to self-destruct, it is easy to give
your power to anyone who appears on your doorstep -- a coach, a career
counselor, even a good friend or relative.
Career changers in midlife crisis, who
are seeking direction, are especially vulnerable to anyone who offers
help. The US government has developed programs to protect
newly-bereaved citizens who are vulnerable to claims from funeral
services.
Often my clients have been laid off or
otherwise terminated. They have been sitting on the couch for a long
time, trying to decide what to do. They have undertaken introspective
life reviews. They may have begun a frantic search for a new career,
sending out batches of resumes. Perhaps they called half a dozen
friends to commiserate about the evils of the workplace.
After six months or a year, they get a wake-up
call. They visit a career center, call a couch or check out the
services of the Small Business Administration.
Inevitably, when
you get off the couch and start
moving, you need to learn a whole new ball game. Maybe you were
a champion
networker when you were vice president of Mega-Mega, and now you are a
job seeker or a start-up entrepreneur. Or you wrote award-winning
ads, and now you are faced with selling yourself through a resume.
Starting over versus
starting out.
Author Martha Beck
says that career transition feels like going back to
kindergarten. You feel that everybody
knows more than you and you really want to go back to the way things
were before.
And one day you wake up and realize, "Wait a
minute!
I know more than I realized!"
You may be angry with those who steered you in the
wrong direction -- or with yourself for not paying attention.
You may be angry with someone who says, "You can't
do that!" when you know perfectly well you can.
I am not suggesting you lash out at those who
offended you, although I think you can ask for reparation if you can
demonstrate that someone really harmed you. I am not suggesting that
you make decisions while you are angry.
But if you have let your intuition lie dormant or
you have responded passively to events around you, anger
is a sign that
you are getting your power back. You are turning on the juice.
Your
intuition is beginning to overpower the wet blankets, the poison darts,
and the well-meaning but misguided mentors.
Some clients are surprised when they feel angry.
Some believe that only happiness can signal that a transition is going
well.
Sadness, depression and grief can be danger
signals.
They can paralyze.
Recognize, welcome and manage your anger.
You are
almost certainly ready to take action and experience your own power
once again.
This
article is based on Teach Your Intuition to Send You a Telegram, Not a
Post Card: Using Intuition for Business and Career Decisions. Click here to learn more.
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