We’ve all heard of MidLife Crisis, right? What is it about Mid-Life that gets so much attention? Have you noticed nearly none of it is positive? Why do we get all philosophical about an imaginary milestone at this point?
It’s possible that if we follow the average sort of life style we would get something like the following:
– Teenage and early twenties: Finish college, start dating, pass through university, leave home, get your first full time job. For some, university would have led you directly to your first creative career already. For others, you did as your parents advised and got a “real job” while you practiced your real passion on the side.
– Mid-twenties to mid-thirties: You find “the one”, either move in or get married, grow your career or abandon the “real job” and, with a bit of money behind you now, finally launch into the creative career. You expand your confidence in your own creativity, have a child (or more), get a mortgage.
– Mid-thirties to mid-forties: Lethargy has set in. There are bills to be paid, enthusiasm for the career is waning (well, it has been 20 years after all), the spouse just isn’t as keen to please you as they were at the beginning, the rising expenses for the house and child/ren are starting to draw your attention.
I understand this isn’t everyone’s life but Ad people would know better than anyone, while armed with their knowledge of target markets, that it’s more common than we would hope.
This can be the point where marriages often fail, redunancies are caused by burnout or general lack of enthusiasm; debts grow, health fails. There’s got to be a better way of living life, don’t you think?
After getting comfortable in your career for a long while you realise starting a new career would be delightful but you don’t want to start at the bottom on broom sweeping wages, nor want to go back to university on no income at all. How could you pay your bills? Or keep the lifestyle that you have built? Do you have to put up with this damn job for the rest of your life because there’s no way out? Is this it then? Doomed for eternity?
My question is:
How stuck are you, really? Is it possible it may only be your perception of the situation?
When you face this question on your own, it can be too hard to answer. If your spouse no longer wants to be the sounding board and your friends are suffering the same problem, it can be tricky to know where to turn. Counsellors and Psychologists are good for delving into problems from the past, but you want to move forward. Buried in the details of your life it’s very difficult to get up above it and look down on your life from an objective viewpoint.
This is where a Personal Career Coach can be useful.
Nope, a Personal Coach is not there to tell you how to run your life and if they do, they’re not doing their job right. So they don’t need to be older than you or be more expert in your field. A good Personal Coach is one who can help you see that over-all view of what’s going on, without the confusion of daily details, then support you to find your own solutions – which are always better suited to you than anyone else’s solutions – to make that career change for the better.
Unlike a Career Consultant, a Personal Career Coach won’t put you through a bundle of standard tests to check your personality type – we don’t like to label people. You are a creative individual and the new career you change to could be completely bespoke.
You loved your spouse when you first met them so let’s not assume separation is the only solution.Imagine if you were happy, full of energy, loving your job again, on top of those bills and laughing with your family on the weekends. How would that affect your relationship? Or if they’ve gone already, how would that make the new relationship? I bet it would look a whole lot better!
So Mid-life Crisis doesn’t have to be about dropping everything from your pre-forties life, buying a red sports car and picking up a 20 year old to get your Mojo back. There are other options and a Personal Coach or Life Coach can help you find them.
Like a Personal Trainer would stretch your body so you can be all the more physically powerful, a Professional Career Coach will stretch your mind in the same way, often with results that just take your breath away.
In a supportive and confidential environment you can redirect your career with the Coach so Mid-Life Crisis dissolves completely, leaving you with a fulfilling and happy life.