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Five Steps to
Vocational Passion:
A Disciplined Plan for Major Mid-life Changes
by Craig Nathanson
There’s a famous song lyric that asks: “Is that all there is?” Every
seven seconds, an American turns 50 years old. So there’s a good
chance that song is running through some of their heads.
The question captures the ennui that many people feel in mid-life.
They look up at the clock, see it ticking, and begin counting in
their heads all the mountains not climbed, the poems not written,
and the songs not sung.
It’s time to stop asking the question idly. I’m offering five
initial steps that you can take to evaluate your situation and to
begin the transition away from a meaningless grind toward a new life
that provides you with energy and fulfilment.
Vocational passion is an alignment of your abilities and interests
in a role that gives you unlimited energy and happiness. This is not
an overnight process. But it’s a process you can begin today.
Step One: Evaluate
Lots of people settle for jobs that pay the bills but leave them
feeling empty. If you want to break out of this trap and find
another kind of life, you need to evaluate where you’d like to go.
Examine where your passions lie. On a scale of 1-10, where are you
when it comes to vocational passion? A “1” is a living drudgery
where you force yourself to your desk every morning and dream about
the end of the day; a “10” is a perfect alignment between interests
and livelihood.
Too many of us are closer to “1” than “10”. Anything lower than a
“5” suggests your working life may be feeding your family, but at
the expense of starving your soul.
Step Two: Envision Your Future
You may have seen the U.S. Navy ad that asks: “If someone wrote a
book about your life, would anyone want to read it?”
Here’s your chance to write that book – or at least the outline. Sit
down and write a short biography that describes who you are five
years from now. Describe exactly the life you wish to lead, doing
work that you love. You will know you’re done with the exercise when
your heart races with excitement.
Then imagine and write down your vision of a perfect vocational day.
It’s difficult to achieve something that you have not clearly
envisioned. Make sure your vision has clarity. Then document it and
pull it out regularly, to refresh your desire to achieve that
vision.
Step Three: Tune Out Negative Feedback
Understand this: The moment you announce plans to make a radical
change in your life, many people will find the move threatening and
they will not wish you well. They will try to talk you out of it and
tell you what a big mistake you’re about to make.
Never let the naysayers dictate your life. People who listen to
negative voices end up with the status quo.
Step Four: Shore Up Your Support Network
Anyone making a change needs supportive friends, and lots of them.
I suggest a three-tiered model for analyzing your personal support
network. The three tiers will include people who are 1) “interested”
in your work; 2) “supporters” who are not only interested, but offer
creative ideas to move you forward; 3) “believers,” which includes
your most active supporters.
Make your lists now. Examine whom you have in your support network
and rank them according to these tiers. Focus on networking with
your tier-one supporters, while trying to move those people in tiers
two and three up the ladder.
Step Five: Assess Your Risk
When taking action to follow one's passion, people trying to change
their life fall into one of four categories. Each requires a
different strategy.
Category One: Plenty of money and plenty of time. People in this
category have a high tolerance for risk based on their relatively
young age and solid financial means.
Category Two: Plenty of money and little time. Because of failing
health and/or advancing age, those in category two have some risk
tolerance. But they probably lack a solid support network, since
most friends will advise against change because they are “too old”
or “too sick.”
Category Three: Little time and little money. I define “little
money” as having less than six months of cash flow in the bank. Risk
tolerance is low in this category, and supporters are probably hard
to come by. Most people are in this category.
Category Four: No money and no time. I define “no money” as less
then three months cash flow in the bank. Anyone is this position
will have a very low risk tolerance. They will find little support
to help them move toward doing what they love.
What to do?
Take the calculated risks now.
Make solid but flexible plans
Get aligned around your abilities and interests
Get more education if necessary
Talk to people who do what you want to do!
What's the worst that can happen?
Remember this: You won't die or become homeless if you pursue what
you love. You may, however, find that your relationship to your
money will change. You’ll respect money more, and you’ll find that
you can manage on less of it.
Also understand that pursuing vocational passion doesn’t always mean
making less money. But it does mean that money is not the only
consideration – or even the most important consideration – in
choosing your new vocational path.
If you don't act to pursue your vocational passion, then every seven
seconds someone else will come along and ask themselves: “Is that
all there is?” Many of them will answer, “No,” and will do something
about it. You can be one of the doers.
Craig Nathanson, The Vocational Coach, is the author of “P Is For
Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day,” by Book Coach Press. He
publishes the free monthly e-zine, “Vocational Passion in Mid-life.”
Craig believes the world works a little better when we do the work
we love. He helps those in mid-life carry this out. Visit his online
community at
http://www.thevocationalcoach.com
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