Does anyone really know what they want to be when they grow up? I certainly didn’t until I was almost 40.
At the age of 15, my Mum bought me the standard ‘Which? Guide to Careers’ which I devoured repeatedly, desperately looking for a career that appealed and that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life (remember when careers were long term?).
Now, as I find myself in my late 40s, I look around and see that very few people are doing what they dreamed of doing as a late teenager.
The reality is that most people fall into a job by circumstance, as a temporary measure, due to pressure by family, or in some cases desperation – and still find themselves doing it 20 years later. Sometimes it works out perfectly, but I think those people are the lucky ones. After all, how many people actually know what they want to do at 18 or 21 years old?
So, like many people, you might wake up one day in middle-age and think… WTF – what am I doing with my life? This wasn’t the plan! The truth is that as we approach the second half of our expected life, we naturally start pondering…
Have I left my mark on the world? Have I made a difference? Am I proud of what I’ve achieved in my life and more importantly am I living life to the full right now?
And while many have these thoughts, very few are brave enough to do something about it. It’s so much easier to just put your head down and get on with things. It can be daunting to change direction at any age, and if you’re listening to your inner voice saying, ‘It’s too late now’ or ‘Who would have me at my age?’ you’re likely to take the safe option and convince yourself it’s just not possible.
But you’d be very wrong.
It might not feel easy but it’s absolutely possible – and I speak as someone who helps mentor people to do just that!
One of the greatest obstacles I see is fear of the unknown. I understand it’s a real concern if you’ve been doing the same thing for twenty years – you know exactly where you are and anything new seems way outside your comfort zone. Yet if you don’t explore what else is out there, you may never find the thing that is your true calling.
You don’t have to take a leap straight into the unknown either – one of the best ways to get started on finding your purpose is to just start paying attention to when you’re at your happiest.
I always encourage people to keep in mind the phrase ‘Do a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’ and another mantra that my coach instils in me ‘Work doesn’t have to be hard’. If you start keeping a mental list of the things that fulfil you, you’ll start to get an idea of where your future might lie.
After all, middle age is no longer the time to settle for what you know, stick with the comfy slippers, and start to wind down. It’s the start of new beginnings. The opportunity to put all that knowledge and wisdom (that ‘comes with age’ as they say) to good use.
If not now, when?
It’s the perfect time to rewrite your story and make the ending count.
If you’d like to find out how starting your own Companionship Business might fit into your story… why not watch my free 1 hour webinar. You’ll get valuable hints and tips to help and I’ll walk you through my FAB-Senior programme, explaining how it can help to save you time and money when setting up your Companionship Service.
Sarah x
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