Dwell in possibility… ~Emily Dickinson
So what exactly is an encore career? In a nutshell, it’s a new stage of work, post-retirement, that’s purposeful, meaningful, and joyful. It’s work on your own terms. Work that matters. Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and start creating your ideal encore career?
Before getting into the nuts and bolts of the process, there’s internal work to be done – work that will assure you end up doing what you really want to be doing. Not to worry if financially you need to get a job now. That doesn’t preclude you from embarking on the journey while you’re working.
Think how you’ve gone about navigating your career in the past. What percentage of the time were you looking outside yourself for the answer to what was next? How often did you take the path of least resistance or do what was expected of you, rather than following your heart to what you really wanted to be doing? This time can be different. But, only if you’re willing to put the external tasks of creating your ideal encore career on hold while you take a look inside yourself and discover what’s in your heart. You might want to use my example to guide you.
Type “A” personality that I was, I flew into my first “retirement” giving myself five weeks between my career as a television and special events producer and the beginning of what I thought should be my encore career.
Now, while I enjoyed the work that I did, and I was really good at it, it wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing. I didn’t know that at the time, because I flung myself into my next career as a documentary film producer. It wasn’t what I was being called to do; it just seemed to be the next logical step, and what everyone said I’d be great at.
It took about six weeks for me to hit the brick wall and realize that documentaries weren’t “it” for me. Next, I leapt into becoming a financial wizard, fired our financial advisor, and took over our entire family’s finances. Don’t ask me what I was thinking. Finance is about as far away from what my heart desired as I could get. But, again I was grasping at whatever seemed like a good idea at the time, instead of slowing down, taking a look inside, and discovering what I really wanted.
Finally, after hitting several more painful, proverbial brick walls, I hired a terrific life coach who helped me design the life I wanted to be living, and then create work that fitted in with that life. Always before, I would create the work, and then try to squeeze some life in around the edges.
Through a series of reflective processes and exercises (which I’ll share with you in upcoming blogs), I discovered the “real” me: my values, my dreams, and my desires. I learned that just because I was good at something didn’t mean I should be doing it, and that I really wanted to enjoy the freedom having my own business would afford. Happily, coaching and speaking ended up being the perfect encore career for my wonderful encore life.
I’ve never been happier.
Once I knew in my heart what I wanted to do, it was easy to create a nuts and bolts plan to get me where I wanted to go.
Was there ever a time when you neglected the internal journey and ended up hitting brick walls like me? And, what would you like to be doing now that you have been putting off? Share your stories with me and I’ll respond.
