13 things worth knowing - before you stay another year.
You've knee-walked to the airport to embark on your holiday, again.
It takes an age to stop thinking about work, and then it's almost time to get on the return flight. Sound familiar?
As an ex-head-hunter, I know that September is the second most popular month of the year, after January, for people of our age to decide "do something” about their work situation.
As a psychologist, I know that there are very common thinking patterns that keep people stuck in the same work, year after year, even when it's not enjoyable enough to add to the spice in their lives.
So before you head off to the airport here are a few things that are worth knowing. That might help you think through your work situation.
Patterns I see in people in their 40s and 50s who want to make changes in their work life
Your personal asset inventory is already rather magnificent.
But few understand the ultra-specific nature of what they offer so packaging yourself to stand out from the crowd is like drawing with your hands tied behind your back.
Part One: Your assets and resources.
You already have 99% of what you need
Your ultra-ultra strengths are the corner pieces of your more enJOYable work jigsaw. They already wow people - even if you can't tell anyone what they are specifically…yet.
You do not need another qualification
Instead, you need to know what you do uniquely better than almost anyone so that you can point it at problems that actually get you sprinting out of bed on a Monday morning.
The time-thieves are greedy
Netflix/Insta/LinkedIn/Newsfeed scrolling is stealing your precious time on this earth. They get more distracting and more comforting when your work doesn't have enough meaning or enjoyment.
The confidence you're waiting for will come, but not while you're standing still.
You can't see open doors when you're standing behind a closed door. Confidence appears when you're moving.
You're not lacking bravery.
You're missing a proven method that walks you through the right steps for you, at the right time for you, to make the right decisions for you.
At our age, life can throw a few punches.
And that’s why it becomes especially necessary that we design and do work that adds to the spice of life. What’s the alternative?
Part two: Life is heavy. Joy is still possible.
At our age, life can throw a few cracking punches.
The mortgage, the elderly parents, the kids at university, your partner's redundancy, your friend's illness - none of this makes deeply enJOYable work impossible. I believe they make it abso-bloody-lutely necessary.
"They" need you to be more fun.
Your loved ones don't need you to have a bigger pension pot or to rise to the top any ladder. They need you to be less exhausted and more fun to be with.
Overnight transformations are for half-hour TV shows.
You don't need work to be 100% more enjoyable tomorrow. You need to have honed your work design skills so that you can make tomorrow's work 1% more enjoyable than today’s. On repeat.
No one taught you how to optimise your work enJOYment.
Repeating stuck thoughts "I can't leave until I know what's next, but I can't figure out what's next" will wear you down. You need a method. To figure out what you want, what you need and how to get it. People exist who have researched and tested rather brilliant methods. And train groups of midlifers how to implement her methods ;)
Leaps of faith - when talking about career moves - should be reserved for the kids who have more time and energy.
At our age, there’s a better way.
Part Three: Leaps of faith are for children.
Movement is your mechanism for change.
Ideally small nimble movements - these give 1% extra confidence each day just as doors start to open for you.
You don't need to have decided your ultimate destination before you take a first step.
Do the work to discover your compass - what problems you wish to solve first. Then you can design a map.
You don't need a dramatic Cinderella-style transformation.
Smaller shifts make for a fiercely enjoyable work-life. You get to cement your joy-at-work design skills every day. So that you can see, find and make the most of opportunities that come your way.
You're definitely not starting over.
You're starting from here - with all that you've built, with everyone you know and with the wisdom you've gained from every hard thing you survived. That's not a small beginning. That's absolutely enormous.
Here’s what I see happen too often.
Most people who don’t enjoy their work enough, don't announce that they're staying in their work place for another year.
They just...don't leave.
They wait for something to happen. To force a decision.
And when that thing happens, they’re not ready, braced for action. They’re dealing with the stress of the situation. Which makes our work a little slower. Totally possible. Just a little slower.
My mission is to encourage you to make deliberate decisions, to prioritise your potential for enJOYable work, for as long as you choose to work.
Find out more in 3 minutes.
If you’re feeling stuck, why not take the free Joy at Work Quiz?
In 3 minutes, you’ll know which is your biggest area of potential for joy at work and where your career blind-spot is. You’ll also get personalised recommendations on where to start based on your responses to the questions.
