My Mid-Career Crisis

I am having a mid-career crisis...and I'm loving it! I've held various professional positions over the years, some with more influence and responsibility than others, some that I've enjoyed more than others. Still, I've always considered myself to be an intelligent, successful and accomplished professional who would grow and develop for a lifetime.

So I got laid off? Who cares! If I hadn't been laid off, I would never have gone through such introspection nor met the people nor had the experiences I've had -- I feel richer for all of it. The few months since my lay-off have had their ups and downs, but I am truly enjoying the process of reinventing myself. Ok, so I wish it were going a lot faster, but really, I'm trusting that my future will be better for all that I'm going through now. Susan M. Heathfield over at About.com suggests some guided thinking excersises that I'll explore today to help me through my very own mid-career crisis.

Write down your ten favorite activities, the ones without which your life would feel bereft.

• Learning unique and (somewhat) practical information
• Interacting with people -- mainly with the public and with a close/small group of associates
• Engaging my heart
• Finding value where others do not
• Making connections (between people and/or businesses)
• Training/Educating others...but not in a classroom
• Using a computer -- is there a job that would require me to be on FB every day? Just kidding about FB:)
• Solving problems
• Making deals and finding bargains

Write down the top five goals you want to accomplish in your career.

This one is hard for me because I have no desire for a traditional career -- no suits, no ladders, no dog-eat-dog. If I instead think of goals I want for my life...well, that's a bit easier. So...what do I want to accomplish in my lifetime?

• Have a happy marraige and a happy family
• Be known
• Travel the world
• Learn to speak two languages besides English
• Run my own business
• Help the voiceless find their voice

List everything you’d like to do in your lifetime. These lists can run several hundred items.

Incidentally, Chris and I happened to do this a few weeks ago. Well sort of -- it turned into a list of places we'd like to visit with just a few things we wanted to accomplish. Regardless, each of our lists was about 3 pages long -- too long for this blog! What stands out to me is that Chris and I both have a wanderlust that will not be easily satisfied. We both have a passion for people, places and cultures -- it's so exciting to be on the same page in this regard!

So Susan M. Heathfield's excercises were simple enough -- still, I've discovered new things about myself. It's all like a puzzle really. I'm currently collecting pieces so that I'll be ready when the pictures comes together.