As part of my award-winning research into mid-life career reinvention, I analysed both:
- the experiences of mid-lifers who had reinvented their careers
- insights from coaches who’d worked with several hundred people
An important finding was that people who had reinvented their career don’t really feel ‘satisfied’ after reinvention, they feel ‘liberated’. They reported a sense of freedom, space, growth, choice and control. More energising than settling. More about possibility than ending.
Liberating: making you feel free and able to behave as you like
(Cambridge Dictionary)
Dissatisfaction as fuel
The journey always began with dissatisfaction – which had either grown slowly over time or spiked quickly after a major event – but didn’t end in satisfaction.
For many people, their dissatisfaction helped fuel a really significant change. There are countless inspiring stories of people who have pivoted their mid-lives and careers in very different directions. An IT Consultant in Scotland to owning a vineyard in France. A Corporate Communications Manager to a Gallery Owner. A Pharmaceutical Executive to a Digital Design Specialist. A Production Engineer to a Cabinet Maker.
But dissatisfaction can also mask the real issue. The strong feelings of frustration, anger, or hopelessness can thrust you in the wrong direction or fool you into believing the issue is bigger than it really is.
Mary was convinced she needed to leave her current organisation. Every morning, she woke feeling anxious, with a hollow dread in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t stand it any longer. It turned out the relationship with her line manager was awful, her confidence was through the floor, and the work was mind-numbing. These two issues were overshadowing everything else making it hard to appreciate the good things about working there.
By dis-covering the real issues, she had more options available to her. She could choose to leave, but she could also address the relationship or consider an alternative job.
If you are sufficiently dissatisfied with your current situation, you are more likely to make a successful change. If you are not sufficiently dissatisfied, it will be hard to make the break and channel the forward momentum you need.
Often more about how than what
Another interesting insight is that reinvention is often more about a shift in how people worked, or how they related to their work, than a big change in what they did.
Even when people did make a big change in what they did, they explained the major shift they experienced was in how they felt about and related to their work. Some people who reinvent their work stay in the same profession or organisation, but shifted their working arrangements, content or learning.
People who have reinvented their work in mid-life say the experience is an adventurous walk through a forest. You generally can’t see the end from the start, there are unexpected turns along the way, you can walk alone or with others, and there will be times in the shade and the light.
Not one person regretted the journey, even if it was a rollercoaster at times. Mid-life is full of ups and downs anyway. People who really take the time to think differently and to address the big questions, emerge feeling liberated, bolder and proud, as opposed to unsettled, dissatisfied and frustrated.
As you stand here at the beginning, it’s OK to be a bit nervous. And a bit excited. You don’t know what to expect. No-one does at this stage.
Includes excerpts from Dancing with fear and confidence: How to liberate yourself and your career in mid-life by Laura Walker
Fulfilling work 