Your career isn’t (right now) going anywhere. 

You need it to meet your family and financial obligations. 

So the question becomes:

How do you live a purpose-driven, meaningful, and fulfilling life when most of your time, energy, and attention is focused on a career that provides little or nothing of what you seek?

These 6 midlife reinvention tips will get you started:

1. Reframe

Here’s the best way to kill your dreams and purpose:

Believing your dreams and purpose must immediately replace your salary dollar for dollar. 

Your career becomes an obstacle to moving toward your purpose when you believe this. 

Your career isn’t an obstacle to pursuing your dreams and purpose; it’s a conduit to them. 

Your salary provides financial security to explore your dreams and purpose – but only when you reframe your thinking to embrace this. 

2. TEA

You must get crystal clear on where you’re investing your TEA (time, energy, and attention). 

You need to know where time is going to get you where you want to go. 

For a minimum of 5 days, track your activities on a spreadsheet. You’ll get a snapshot of how you spend your days, and as Anne Dillard said,

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

3. Regrets

Missed opportunity regrets can be a source of pain or a treasure trove of deep understanding.

Explore your regrets for choices not made and paths not taken. 

You didn’t start your furniture design business? You didn’t take that job in the Caribbean?

Make a list, and get what’s inside outside. 

4. Explore and Connect.

Mastering midlife requires a deep connection to yourself. 

Explore your regrets. Why do they sting? Why are you bummed? What are you making your regrets mean?

Did you operate out of fear? 

Are you disappointed you didn’t bet on yourself?

5. Forgiveness

It’s tough to move forward when you’re carrying the burden of regret and beating yourself up for choices that are in the past.

Forgiving yourself releases that burden. 

Reminder – Forgiveness isn’t an overnight trip, it’s a journey. Give yourself grace and compassion.

6. Find Time

Find one hour a day (it’s in there), and dedicate that hour to investing in yourself, betting on yourself, and pursuing your unfulfilled dreams.

This is the most crucial aspect of this process I implore you to remember:

You’re not trying to replace your paycheck; you’re connecting to yourself, cultivating a sense of purpose and mission from which meaning and fulfillment will flow. 

Midlife is only a crisis if you make it one. Otherwise, it’s one of the most significant opportunities for growth you’ll ever know. 

📣 If you’re ready to get unstuck and master midlife so you can craft your remarkable 2nd act, check out the Midlife Mastery Program.