| For more than twenty-years, Carla's primary | | | | in your stomach should not be ignored. Both |
| focus was working her way up the corporate | | | | are an accepted call to action. Changing your |
| ladder in the Human Resources department of a | | | | job, career, or lifestyle may take some work. |
| large publicly traded company. Day after day | | | | But if you truly follow your passion, the |
| she worked hard to meet the demands of her | | | | effort will provide infinitely positive |
| superiors and colleagues, until one morning | | | | results.Are you ready to make a change? Here |
| she woke up with a sickened, sinking feeling | | | | are a few tips for getting started on a |
| in her stomach.It was her career, she | | | | successful second career.Make a list of the |
| realized. Having spent nearly half of her | | | | things missing in your lifeDo you long to |
| life working in an unsatisfying job, with few | | | | revive a passion from your youth that you |
| genuine accomplishments and the goals of her | | | | never found time to pursue? Is it music, a |
| youth long forgotten, Carla had hit midlife | | | | sport, writing, cooking, entrepreneurship? It |
| and she didn't like it. To alleviate the | | | | doesn't matter what, as long as it's |
| feeling in her stomach, Carla began making a | | | | something you truly have a desire to do. If |
| conscious effort to pay more attention to the | | | | you've already got a clear picture of the |
| gap between the reality of her life and the | | | | passions you'd like to pursue, then identify |
| dreams and passions she once had. She was | | | | small, achievable ways you can start |
| determined to pounce on her one last chance | | | | incorporating them into your life.Imagine |
| for a career that could make the second half | | | | that you already have one million dollars in |
| of her life more meaningful and fulfilling.In | | | | the bankHow would you spend your time each |
| 2004, Carla decided to nourish her passion to | | | | day? Think of the environment you'd like to |
| serve the elderly and today, is the owner and | | | | be in, the people you'd want to know, and how |
| operator of an adult day care facility in | | | | you would relate to them. What activities |
| Houston, Texas. She is now planning her next | | | | would you engage in? Chances are your |
| venture-an assisted living program for | | | | passions come to the surface when you |
| low-income elderly residents.Is Carla's story | | | | play-out your "winning the lottery" |
| unusual? According to a study reported in | | | | fantasies. Although we're not all destined to |
| Prevention Magazine, not in the slightest; | | | | be millionaires, that shouldn't hold you back |
| "79% of baby boomers will expect to work at | | | | from following your desires and placing more |
| least part-time well into their golden | | | | value in yourself, regardless of your bank |
| years," the study has revealed. "A growing | | | | account balance.Tap into your wisdom and |
| number of adults are looking at their 40s, | | | | experience to re-evaluate your current |
| 50s, and 60s as the right time to start fresh | | | | careerAsk yourself what's not working and |
| in an entirely new field." What drives adults | | | | what you want to change. Use this time to |
| to change their careers? The answer, in a | | | | reflect on your life. Are there any passions |
| word, is midlife.Craving a more fulfilling | | | | or dreams that you abandoned in your youth? |
| and meaningful career is just one area of | | | | If you don't know what you want to do, try |
| focus during midlife adjustment. As adults | | | | volunteering as a way to develop new |
| reach midlife, at a time when parents and | | | | interests. Find a way to live your passion |
| older relatives begin to die, the realization | | | | everyday. I once heard someone say, "You |
| that their lives, too, will come to an end | | | | don't get what you want out of life, but what |
| begins to hit home. Suddenly the importance | | | | you believe."Understand your passion, but |
| of achieving goals and doing what makes us | | | | also where your strengths lieIt's critical to |
| happy becomes much more important. This is | | | | take an inventory of your life and to |
| the time closet authors, entrepreneurs, | | | | determine what is really important. Make a |
| musicians or artists will begin thinking | | | | list of the things you are passionate about, |
| about careers to match their energy, | | | | and then narrow the list to items that |
| vitality, and passion for life.The life cycle | | | | present an opportunity to generate income. If |
| is, for most of us, fairly predictable. From | | | | you're not pursuing your passion, what's in |
| adolescence to age 30, most of us are | | | | the way? What do you need to do to move |
| consumed with learning how to become who we | | | | forward with pursuing your plan?Keep your day |
| think we want to be. We go from our 30s to | | | | jobYou don't have to quit your day job to |
| our 40s working and living that role. But at | | | | focus on your passion. It's not an all or |
| age 40, midlife, after having reached this | | | | nothing proposition. I meet people all the |
| goal, many discover it wasn't what we wanted | | | | time who say they're working full-time and |
| to do after all. At this midlife point, after | | | | pursuing their dreams on the side, in their |
| having worked so hard only to find ourselves | | | | free time. You may still need to earn a |
| wanting, many are willing to take on the | | | | living while you transition onto your new |
| challenge of more risk and freeing ourselves | | | | path. This is true whether you're planning to |
| from the burden of other's | | | | start a business or preparing to establish a |
| expectations.Longer life expectancy plays a | | | | new career.Start right nowOver the next 30 |
| part, too. At midlife, says Deborah Carr, | | | | days; make a commitment to yourself to |
| sociology professor at Rutgers University, | | | | identify one thing you can do to begin |
| people realize they still have nearly half a | | | | pursuing your passion-and start doing it! |
| lifetime yet to live and wonder how they will | | | | Research ways to integrate your passion with |
| spend those years. "They know they're going | | | | your current obligations and take those first |
| to have lots of healthy years, so I think | | | | steps into your second career with achievable |
| it's a period of making choices to live out | | | | goals. You'll soon discover that living and |
| one's dreams that got put on the shelf during | | | | working your passion is being in control of |
| younger years."Women are well represented in | | | | your own life.Diane Randall is a Certified |
| this mindset, with more women than ever using | | | | Wellness Coach who works primarily with |
| their midlife as a springboard to experience | | | | adults over 30 to help them reclaim their |
| positive career transformations. They want a | | | | zest and drive for life. Randall began her |
| career that matches their energy and allows | | | | wellness journey over fifteen years ago when |
| them to be successful as individuals. More | | | | an unexplained health crisis forced her to |
| and more often you will find women starting | | | | adopt a better way of living, and has since |
| businesses, gaining respect, and finding | | | | used her education and experiences to help |
| purpose in their midlife.The lesson we can | | | | countless others. Randall speaks and writes |
| take for Carla's story is that midlife should | | | | about a variety of health and wellness |
| not be feared, and that the sinking feeling | | | | related topics affecting the adult community. |