I once met a woman after speaking at a conference who thanked me for removing the “shackles” from her wrists.
What a powerful word.
My presentation, It’s Your Turn: Find Your Authentic Self, made her realize that all her life, she felt she was living someone else’s dream. She didn’t know she had choices.
She wasn’t alone; this challenging discovery can happen for many women reaching midlife.
She told me how her work as a physician enabled her to live a comfortable life, and she was grateful. But now she wanted to choose how to live the rest of her life.
I told her the time was now to embrace the difference between “a skill” and “a natural strength.”
Learning to being a physician was a skill she had studied and practiced for years. Cooking on the other hand, was what she called a “love distraction”; it’s something that came easily to her.
Realizing this difference was a huge self-discovery moment, an important facet of finding her “authentic self” before journeying toward retirement and finding substance at midlife.
Her authentic journey began with taking a culinary course on the weekends. Of course, fitting the class into her busy schedule would be tough. This doctor, like so many women, didn’t have the luxury to leave her job while preparing for midlife. Making a small change to your schedule — like signing up for a cooking class — is a solid way to start on the journey.
Have a great day being you!
