How Do You Begin Making a Career Transition?

The readiness is all.

– William Shakespeare

Successfully navigating your career transition as a Baby Boomer isn’t easy. I’ve been there and I had to learn a few things the hard way.

Saying I was scared when I got laid off would be an understatement. I had never been “out of a job” before. Fear admonished me to hurry up and get on with finding my next job. So off I scurried to find resources to help me figure out how in the heck I was going to find “new cheese”.

I was filled with dread and anxiety. I had been with my company for practically my whole life. I never learned how to write a resume, conduct a job search, network or do anything that everyone told me was necessary to successfully navigate my career transition in “this day and age”.

Not only that, there was this conflicting and insistent little whisper inside urging me to do something different at this stage of my life. I wanted independence, flexibility and freedom. But since I had no idea what kind of “job” would give me that, I resigned myself to finding something in my field.

And then I wondered why I kept resisting doing what I needed to do to get a new job.

Luckily, trusted friends and associates encouraged me to slow down and regroup. They encouraged me to “play” which sounded crazy and counter-intuitive to me. I didn’t know then that crazy is good!

If “playing” sounds as crazy to you as it did to me, I invite you to consider that “crazy” may be a signal that you are on the right track. Dance with your crazy dreams and be curious about where they might lead you.

Step 1 in navigating your career transition is to PLAY. Here are a few things I learned the hard way that may help you get started:

  • Play and dream as if you were a child. Don’t lock yourself into “same old” thinking. Let your creativity soar without censoring it. You aren’t obligating yourself to anything.
  • Let go of “should” and “ought” and “that’s not practical” and just BE with whatever new ideas come up. Play with every possibility.
  • Seek assistance from trusted advisors if you feel “stuck”. Don’t continue trying to figure out what’s next on your own. Your own limited view will keep you feeling “stuck”.
  • Remember that navigating a career transition (or any transition for that matter) is a process. Relax and surrender to the process.
  • Play with creating a vision for a future that inspires you and ignites a fire within you.  

Don’t worry at this point about whether your “sexy second act” career transition dream isn’t practical or doesn’t make sense. I promise you that with playful persistence, the appropriate support, and commitment to discovering the answer that’s right for you, you’ll discover your next career and you’ll be excited to get going creating it!

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Is it time for you to take prepare for successfully navigating your career transition? Are you looking for a trusted adviser to share your wild and crazy career transition ideas with? Contact Coach Sue and schedule your complimentary “get acquainted” session and begin to explore new possibilities for finding your sexy second act career that combines Passion, Purpose, and a Paycheck!