It seems like everywhere you turn today – everyone is talking about finding true happiness or finding your true purpose or calling. An important key theme we hear in all of these areas is that it is an “INSIDE JOB”. It is not something that someone else can provide for you or a workshop that tells you the ten steps!
Why is it so easy for us to quickly identify what we DON’T want but when it comes to identifying what we do want, we get stopped in our tracks. I remember when I was in the beginning phase of this “WANDERING AND WONDERING “ chapter in my life and I was doing an Oprah self help quiz on finding your purpose…. and boy did I get stumped with the question – what do I really want? Why was that so hard for me??? This may be because we were all so busy in our lives doing what we knew HOW to do, or what people EXPECTED us to do or what we thought we SHOULD do.
After three years of talking to people in this mid-life stage of life, THIS question “What do I really want?” is the number one question or challenge that most people experience. Is this because we are stepping away from the comfort of who we have always been or what we have always done? Is it because we never thought we had the freedom to really ask that question – to have the freedom to really do what we wanted to do all of our lives? How do we get past these roadblocks to find what we really want- what is our purpose???
After reading many books, articles and connecting with others within the Encore Movement – here are my recommendations of how to get started:
- Start on the INSIDE – It means stepping back and doing an internal search and reflection.
- Test out or explore new opportunities and ideas – It is OK to fail, pivot, meander around to see what fits and what does not fit.
- Stay focused on WHAT you want before you jump into the HOW and all the specific action steps to get there!
Marci Alboher, in her book, “The Encore Career Handbook” provides some valuable self-assessments that can help you get started with some of the internal reflection part of the journey. I would like to add a few more to the list from my own personal experience.
- Keep track of your thoughts, ideas and internal brainstorming with a journal. Start with a crazy creative list of ideas you might have been kicking around for the last 30 years. Then make a list of all the things that you do not want!
- Describe yourself, create a work/life snapshot. In our “What’s Next” workshop we have people draw a circle of life; what they are currently doing in all areas of their lives- and then draw an ideal, future circle.
- Examine your motivations. Do you want to earn a lot of money, do you want to work with a team of people, do you want to address a community issue? (more of these questions are in the Encore Career Handbook)
- Talk to your closest friends. Ask them what your greatest strengths are? What are the things people always come to you for help with? What skills do you enjoy doing??
- Describe some of the issues that draw you in or people you want to serve? What are your top five values at this time in your life?
- What are some of the roles that appeal to you (not the ones you have been stuck in for the last 30 years).
- What are the skills you WANT to use or that you want to learn how to do?
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Once you have done some of that internal reflection and assessment, you will want to step back and look at any themes or clues that can give you enough to get started on your next step which is ACTION AND EXPLORATION.
- Connect with other like minded people who are in this same stage of career transition. (Meet ups, discussion groups, workshops to learn something new– or start your own little accountability group)
- Network with people who are doing interesting things perhaps in areas that you want to learn more about. (You are not asking for a job, you are asking others to talk about themselves or their job; this is exploring 101.)
- Find a volunteer opportunity in an area that sounds interesting for you. Research shows that volunteering can be your best way to learn about yourself and what fits for you. Volunteering can also be a way to test drive some of the values or missions that you want to align with. Volunteering is the best way to secure a job or a short term consulting project in a non profit organization.
I would encourage any of you who are at the beginning of this “wondering and wandering” phase to purchase the Encore Career Handbook because it takes you beyond the finding your encore phase to help you examine all the different pathways you can go!
ENCORE TAMPA BAY CAN BE A RESOURCE FOR YOU..
PATHWAYS AND RESOURCES TO HELP YOU DISCOVER, RETOOL AND CONNECT:
The Encore Academy continues to offer free discussion groups that are centered around topics that assist people with making career transitions or finding your purpose. Our website also connects you to other great organizations and resources that will assist you to discover, retool and connect to what ever your encore might be!
CONNECTING TALENT TO THE COMMUNITY
We are ready to help get you plugged into the needs and opportunities of the non profit community with our new non profit opportunity board or listings of other websites and matching programs where you can use your skills to strengthen a non profit in our community!!