Y was a candidate I recommended to a foreign company ten years ago, when he was just over 30 years old and in high spirits. Recently, he came to me and said, I don't pay attention, more than ten years, the development in this company is not bad, he has become a senior in China. In recent years, the company's industry has been flat, and the company's situation in China in recent years has actually deteriorated, and the headquarters no longer puts new products into China, let alone increases investment, and there are fewer opportunities for their own upward mobility. But the company is a multinational company, the benefits are good, it seems that this is not bad, but Y also knows that if it has always been like this, the future is so unknowable, there used to be often headhunters to provoke, and now occasionally headhunters call to ask a few words and there is no follow-up, a little scary.
Y felt a deep confusion and powerlessness, jumping jobs, not jumping for ten years, fear of the outside world, and the market situation in the same industry is generally not good, do not go, feel that it is only more than 40 now, waiting for retirement, I don't know if I can retire smoothly. And slowly colleagues and friends are middle-aged, talking about health care, talking about children, it seems that they have nothing to pursue.
Y can no longer change his career path as easily as he did when he was young, but he is not willing to be mediocre and does not want to wait for retirement like some friends around him who eat and wait to die.
It's hard to advance, and it's unwilling to retreat.
Y says the worst things are lack of motivation, lack of direction, intermittent anxiety, intermittent banishment. Y child is taking the college entrance examination this year, and Y feels that after the child goes to college, he should have some changes, and wants to talk to me to see if there are any ways to stay alive.
In our lives, most of us will go through such a stage: mid-career (35 or 40-year-old professionals are especially many, but not limited to age, more mentality).
At this time, we have gone through the freshness and challenges of the first workplace, and we may have worked hard and brilliantly, and we may find ourselves in a state of "boiling frogs".
Although the working environment is acceptable, it is not a peace of mind, but it lacks the motivation to challenge and improve; When it comes to the stage of workplace proficiency, there are no new challenges in the work, and it seems that the return on hard work is less and less obvious; Neither can counterattack, nor can they strive to jump out of the original familiar environment; I am not old enough to retire, and I am not young enough to change tracks; Feel that their work and life are mediocre, insufficient than the top, more than the bottom; Colleagues are passable, there are some friends who can accompany you to pass the time, but they feel dissatisfied, because these friends cannot stimulate your fighting spirit, will not spur you to grow, and sometimes they will be unwilling: Am I going to live this life like this?
_ Part 01.
Introspection, understanding oneself, and discovering signals of change
The first step to change is actually to know yourself, and understanding yourself is the most difficult thing.
People have vanity, inertia, and many times they know that their work has been done, but because of face, because of titles, because of laziness ... We will find many high-sounding reasons for ourselves, excuses for our inaction.
So, when we feel that there is a problem, we must first introspect ourselves, which can help us better understand our thoughts, emotions, desires and motivations,
Mature professionals with certain experience, confused and new people who have just entered the workplace, we no longer know nothing about work and life, we have many years of work experience, this is the material for us to reflect, just to re-introspect. Think about what you really enjoy after working for so many years, what your long-term goals are, what your values are. You may find that what you really love doesn't match your current job, or that you have different expectations for your career.
I have observed the workplace for many years and found that if most of the people who work for themselves are happy, the later they retire, the better, many entrepreneurs will work for life, and dying at work is the happiest thing; If you work for others, most of them avoid it, if economic conditions allow, the sooner you retire, the better, and many migrant workers can apply for early retirement is the happiest thing.
If you want to continue to achieve higher achievements in your career, if you want to have a passion for work, whether it is a part-time job or a business, you must find a career that you can control/do for yourself.
Senior managers like Y should think clearly that their lack of vitality is not only because the work has been done for a long time, but that the job is a bit of a hit, as a senior manager of a foreign company, he cannot influence the company's strategy to stop developing, he has lost control of his work, and his work is no longer for himself (except for receiving salaries). When we only care about the salary for the work at hand, and are reluctant to leave the job at hand, just because of the salary, the job comes to an end.
To engage in self-introspection is to be honest with ourselves, we can try the following:
01. Keep a diary: Journaling is a very effective self-reflection tool. By recording your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, you can gain a deeper understanding of your inner world.
02. Meditation: Meditation can help you let go of external distractions and focus on your inner world. You can observe your thoughts and emotions through meditation and understand how they affect your behavior and decisions.
03. Ask yourself: Ask yourself in-depth questions, such as: "What do I really want?" "Why did I make this decision?" "How do I feel in this situation?" "Wait. These questions can help you gain a deeper understanding of your motivations and desires.
04. Seek feedback: Other people's perspectives and feedback can provide a different perspective and help you understand yourself more fully. Find someone you trust, share your thoughts and feelings, and listen to their feedback.
05. Create a space for reflection: Give yourself a separate space where we may overlook our inner feelings in a busy life. Try to create some time and space to give yourself a chance to stop and think. Some middle-aged people like to spend some time alone in the car, in fact, it is also the desire for independent space.
Through these methods, you can do better introspection, understand your state, and recognize whether your state needs to change. Remember, introspection is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. You need to do regular introspection, and over time, you will get to know yourself better.
These findings are a sign of change and prompt you to re-examine your career path.
Many people, in middle age, unconsciously fall into crisis. The truly terrible midlife crisis is often unconsciously and passively discovered, and active thinking often has an opportunity for change.
Y is actually a person who is not willing to be mediocre and good at thinking, and it is always good to have a sense of crisis, but there are not many people who are just immersed in worry or passively wait.
By being honest with ourselves and taking the initiative to think, we may find opportunities for change or reconcile with life.
_ Part 02.
Develop a realistic plan for change
01. Goal, start with the end, and plan for the next stage:
Once you've identified your values and goals, the next step is to make a life plan. This plan should include not only a career, but also specific goals in life that you hope to achieve in the next few years, which field you hope to further your education, which industry you hope to develop, and what you want your family to look like. This plan will be key to reactivating your motivation mid-career. That is, to find the career you really want to do for yourself, which is difficult, but essential if you want to be energetic and want to extend your professional life.
We usually think of the workplace life expectancy as about 30 years, but now as our life expectancy increases, you may be able to work for about 30 years after the age of 50, and the workplace middle age is really only middle age, what "is late" and "too late" is the language of the previous era.
02. Learning: Lifelong learning and staying sensitive to the world
People in the middle of their careers may find that their skills and knowledge become obsolete through constant change and updating. This is where the importance of lifelong learning comes into play. You need to constantly learn new skills and knowledge to stay competitive. This may mean going back to school or taking some vocational training. Whichever way you choose, the most important thing is to have a determination to keep learning and improving.
03. Networking: Networking is the embodiment of accumulation
You may have established some contacts in the middle of your career, but are you using them effectively? Effective networking can help you access new opportunities, expand your horizons, and even help you make a career change. It's time to revisit your network to see who can help you advance your career and what you can do to help others. Remember, networking is a two-way street, and you need to support others.
04. Take risks: Don't be afraid of failure and try actively
In the middle of the workplace, we may already have a stable job, which allows us to accumulate or attach a lot of resources and feelings. But that doesn't mean you don't need to try new things, as any job comes with potential crises. So, think about where your new field might be before your career stalls.
Is there a new business you've always wanted to try? Or a new skill you've always wanted to learn? Don't be afraid to fail, try actively. Only by constantly trying, can you find a career path that truly suits you and realize your self-worth.
05. Health: Physical and mental health is the foundation of workplace vitality
One thing we can't ignore is that mid-career people can face a variety of health issues, including physical health and mental health. The pressure of working long hours may lead to physical and mental health problems, and the physical and mental health of family members will also become a factor that must be considered. Therefore, we need to regularly check our physical and mental health, seek necessary medical help, and also maintain good lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, and good eating habits. When you reach middle age, you will find that what you lose before you lose mental strength is physical strength and energy. If the physical energy is strong, the mental strength is also easy to recover.
There may be some challenges at this stage, for example, you may face a balance between family and work, or you may face a career transition, but it is difficult to find opportunities.
You may complain that the market does not give middle-aged people a chance, you may complain that the current industry units are going downhill, you may complain that your economy is not free enough, and you dare not take risks easily....
But as a mid-career person, you should be mature enough to understand that building your own career is your own job, and it is a lifelong work, and constantly establish challenging phased goals, so that you can have a life that you can control in the long run.
You need to have the courage to face life's challenges and make positive changes. Otherwise, wanting to change is just a fantasy in our minds countless times.
Keep in mind that change may bring temporary discomfort, but in the long run, it can be an important turning point in your career.
Life is so cruel, people find in middle age that even if they work hard, it is difficult to succeed. For middle-aged people in the workplace, time flies quickly, and resources are always insufficient.
But fortunately, we have passed the middle age smoothly and have accumulated something, and we must believe that the opportunity will always live up to the efforts of the past so many years.
_ Part 03.
Create an environment to reinvent yourself
If you want to change yourself, it is better to change the environment first. When you find that the current environment is not conducive to your growth, you really need to consider changing the environment.
For mid-career people, it's harder to change the environment because we're deeply embedded in our work-life environment, but it's the most effective way for us to change ourselves.
Rich Calgard's Late Bloomer argues that the best way to get a suitable environment for development is to create it ourselves. If you want to reinvent yourself, you have to transplant the environment.
This strategy is applicable no matter what stage of the workplace. People in the middle of the workplace should pay more attention to:
01. Imagine a new image of your future
Once you've decided to move to a more suitable environment, the next step is to envision your future. People who can clearly envision their future are often able to make decisions that are more beneficial to them. Linking an identity goal to the achievement of an important goal, such as pursuing a new career path, is more conducive to achieving the goal.
You should imagine what your future self will look like. What kind of clothes will you have in the future, what grade of things will you eat, and what kind of speech and behavior will you have? How will you deal with others in the future? Our behavior may also change as we change circumstances, and we should use our temperament to your advantage.
02. Small trials, small trial and error
Whether starting a business, changing tracks, or changing jobs, don't rush to change the whole system first.
First change from yourself, such as if you want to change the track, you can first do a free part-time job, do a side job, such as Y has always wanted to jump to the high-tech industry, but the same position to jump jobs is almost unrealistic, he thinks about it and is ready to do part-time overseas sales in a high-tech company, testing his overseas capabilities and networks.
03. If you want to change jobs, don't choose a job or career that is completely unfamiliar to you
For those in the middle of the career, if you really want to change the environment, you should give priority to the kind of work that is similar in some aspect, when you can graft your own successful experience and professional connections, and complete the transformation in the workplace in a timely manner, in order to achieve sustainable growth and avoid stagnation.
Most of the middle-aged people in the workplace are old and young, and the intermediate network is fixed, and the skills are fixed. It's hard to maneuver. But don't be too pessimistic, we also have advantages, for example, Y's child has gone to college, so he no longer has the trouble of educating young children, and he feels that he has the freedom to change cities and jobs.
04. Change the environment and change a group of friends
When you reach middle age, you find it difficult to change jobs and make new friends. But when you suspect that your co-workers and old friends will hinder you from growing, transplant to a new circle of friends and colleagues. Changing environments is not a sudden change of job, nor is it a sudden abandonment of old friends, the safer way is to join some new peer groups first.
Especially for groups with similar age experiences and similar goals, small groups are a safe and low-risk option when exploring ways to transplant. If you want to change your circle of friends after middle age, you can choose classes with similar backgrounds, organize or join peer groups.
Speaking up to your peers about your problems is not only a little bit of security, but also possible with solid advice and practical experience.
Final words:
In general, the middle of the workplace is an important stage of a person's career, if you want to extend your professional life and live a more exciting life, you need to re-examine your values and goals, make a career plan, maintain a lifelong learning attitude, establish effective relationships, not be afraid of failure, actively try new things, and also pay attention to your physical and mental health. Only then will you be able to reactivate your self-motivation mid-career and reach your next career goal.
It is indeed difficult for middle-aged people to say goodbye to their current life, but only by making changes and finding the right circle of people can they find an environment conducive to their growth.
In the middle of the workplace, people should be clear about the boundaries of their abilities and physical strength, and gradually clear about their values. I studied the workplace, observed all kinds of people in the workplace, and found that not everyone has to achieve something in the workplace and constantly climb the peak, most people's happiness is diverse, happy people are not necessarily people with high achievements in the workplace, but people who know what they want.