“Thank you for taking the shackles off my wrist”
A physician shared these comments after a presentation to mothers of children attending a leadership conference.
You’re thinking about leaving a stressful career.
You’re making money to afford a beautiful home.
Your family can travel for vacation almost anywhere in the world.
You’re grateful for the opportunity to work in a profession using the skills you learned in graduate school.
You’re questioning how to create a fulfilling second act.
You’re feeling burnout working additional hours and struggling with how to make a change in the future.
You may not be a physician but you tell yourself I can’t leave now!
Maybe you’re feeling guilty, or lack the confidence to explore the real you and what you want.
After all, why should you be unhappy when life is better than most people’s?
To continue doing something you no longer feel passion for is not sustainable.
The physician was hoping to hear something from me that would convince her she wasn’t foolish to leave a wonderful profession.
Maybe you can relate.
Many women approaching midlife begin to take a long hard look at how they spend their days or years.
Maybe you experience the same struggle as the physician wondering whether a career change is just what the doctor ordered.
But what I told her that day in front of the stage may surprise you.
You see, sometimes we think the solution is finding a new career right now.
The pain or problem is you’ve disconnected from things that bring you passion and joy.
So what I told the Doctor…
You’re fortunate to work in a successful career. You have the power to create choices for the future.
Her AHA moment is she wants to be a chef. But how could she be a chef now, she asked?
She loves cooking for people and family. Cooking feels joyful, and fun and gives her confidence.
I suggested taking one course at a culinary school on the weekend.
Taking the class could be an experiment.
See if the joy is still there.
Examine if the natural strength comes easy, you spend hours doing it and feel confident doing what you love.
Her eyes lit up. She said, maybe taking one course on a Saturday could work. The stress on her face began to subside. It was a brief conversation about having a choice.
Creating choices is a challenge for many women working in stressful careers.
Claiming your identity is like going down a large road of uncertainty. Who will I be at the end?
I was one of those women in my corporate life. Listening to her story reminded me of feeling burned out and stressed in a career that wasn’t me any longer.
My self-discovery for my second half of life evolved. Gratefully for over 20 years I live doing what I want to do not have to do.
Join me to create a brighter future for you.
