Imagine, if you will, you have about ten years remaining on this Earth. It could actually be a few months, more or less. The point is, you know with absolute certainty you have approximately a decade to look forward to before you pass on.
This leaves too much time and not enough money to indulgently submit your two-week notice or cash out and sell your business. Although, the thought of retiring and traveling the world crosses your mind more than once. Alas, there are bills to pay and family members to feed.
Opportunity to Begin a Midlife Reinvention
The situation is distressing. You always assumed you would have ample opportunity to begin a midlife reinvention when it felt right. But you don’t have plenty of time anymore. The inevitable truth sinks in, and tears fall as you grieve. Eventually, you accept your destiny, and your focus narrows on quality rather than quantity. Serious decisions about how to spend the balance of your life need to be made.
Will you:
- Find a more satisfying job in your current field?
- Go back to school for a new career in a different industry?
- Switch to a part-time position and spend more time with family?
- Sign up for more volunteer or charity work?
- Start the business you always dreamed about?
- Revamp your existing business to better reflect your interests and values?
- Stop working with difficult clients or stop taking on impossible assignments?
“Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.” @BrainyQuote
— Jen Monks (@lifewiselady)
* Plan And Implement:
Clarity comes quickly to those on a deadline. You discover making these life-altering choices is both terrifying and liberating. The constraints that held you in unsatisfying situations seem to loosen and fall away. You are suddenly less willing to tolerate toxic people and negative environments. “Life is too short,” you tell yourself.
Alright, time to come back to reality. The truth is, you probably have more than ten years to live. You likely have plenty of time to plan and implement a midlife reinvention, should you want to. However, think deeply about how you will spend your remaining days no matter what your age. Not to be morose, but they ARE numbered. Nobody knows when they have reached the half waypoint.
Acknowledging this, what profound changes do you want to make in your professional life? Are you ready to make a scheme and take the first step? Tell me about your career goals in the comment section below. Putting your ambitions in writing might help get the ball rolling. Remember, you are the writer of your story.
