Career Articles

Stuck in the Middle?

By Cecile Peterkin

I recently surveyed my clients who are middle managers or in mid-career positions to see what they had in common. I discovered three common elements: most are in mid-life; their biggest challenges are balancing life and career; and they are using this stressful, pivotal time to reinvent themselves.

In Canada 9.831 million people are between 40-59 years old. In the United States this number climbs to 82.549 million people. Our entry into the 21st century has changed how people feel about being mid-life adults. While far from the mid-life crisis of generations past, it is nevertheless a time of challenges and crossroads. Career, family, relationships, health and personal growth all seem equally important but people tend to focus on their career/job because it represents money and money plays a large role in the balance we try to create in our lives. The mid-point often shakes people out of the auto-pilot and requires them to answer some hard questions: Is this work fulfilling? Am I energized by it, or drained? Can I spend more time with my family and still make ends meet? Is this what I want to do with the rest of my life? And if not, WHAT? The answers to these questions can provide some very important information for the second part of life.

Mid-life is the beginning of your second chapter. What better time to take an inventory: what is really important to you; what are your VALUES; what are you good at; what are your skills and ATTRIBUTES; and what is missing in your life? Taking some time now to review where you have been, what you have done and how it has served you, means you can move forward with awareness. Awareness will allow you to make clearer, more positive choices for yourself - and will result in a life with fewer regrets. This is not always an easy undertaking, we live in a society that caters to the young and this can cause negative self-scrutiny and fear of aging. A therapist and/or a life or career coach can help you navigate this process.

Once you have some clarity, the next steps are to set goals, put a plan in place for achieving those goals, and build supports for yourself as you move forward. The bonus of mid-life is that you are equipped with half a life's worth of experience – your experience! Mid-life doesn't necessarily mean having to change your life but you can learn new methods of living and change the way you experience your life by making new choices or having a different outlook.

So get unstuck! This is another beginning. As you move into the second chapter of your life, think about what will make your life a success for you – and use this to create the life you want.

"Sometimes the best begins in the middle"

 

Cecile Peterkin is the is the President and Founder of Cosmic Coaching Centre, and publishes “Recipes for Success”, a Free monthly ezine on living your best life both personally and professionally.