There are three paths Baby Boomers are increasingly walking so they can live their own dreams before they die. These keys have the potential to completely change your life – if you choose to use them.
Creativity separates us from machines. Women who have made a satisfying midlife career change know that creativity is their ‘secret sauce.’ We’re all creative. In midlife, we’re getting back in touch with it.
Our inner soul craves expression, and we feel an urge to create something new – something we’ve never done before. We want to leave behind some kind of mark that shows we were here.
Women who heed the call of creativity are rewarded with more fun, physical and mental well-being, connection with others and an outlet for self-expression.
Keep a journal of your random thoughts. Doodle in it and include your musings and favourite quotes. Over time, your writing will give voice to your inner creativity and help you focus your ideas.
Find a creative outlet you’d like to experiment with, such as painting, quilting, photography, live theatre, weaving or a discussion group. This can help you live with meaning and may lead to a second career.
Women age 55+ are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. They can finally work at something they enjoy that allows them to set their own hours. It gives them the freedom to travel when they want – rather than waiting for an employer to grant time off.
Self-employment allows you to express more of who you are, to use your favourite skills and is a chance to use more of your creativity.
Small is beautiful. Midlife women know they don’t need to create a million-dollar business. Financial security comes from having more than one source of income.
Many choose fulfilling work to follow a lifelong dream and to create an income to top up a pension plan. Creativity and self-employment go hand-in-hand.
Get rid of stuff that keeps you feeling trapped. We all have stuff we hold onto that’s not necessary. It is consuming ‘energetic space’ in your life. Sell stuff you don’t use or enjoy – or give it away to someone who can use it.
Spend some quiet time in nature to get in touch with your heart and intuition along with what you really want from the next stage of your life. Stay open to the unexpected. Re-assess the direction you are headed as new information comes to you.
I left a government-funded position in career counselling when I realized helping women write resumes and cover letters was not helping them fulfill their dreams. It was keeping them feeling trapped in a life they didn’t want.
I wrote a book, then started offering workshops and an online course and have now partnered with an artist to host retreats to help women design the life they want to live.
I was overjoyed at the prospect that I could live on less when traveling, than staying at home. Women are spending time in countries with a lower cost of living, housesitting or swapping homes to save on accommodation.
The #1 dream of many boomer women is to have more time for travel and adventure. Savvy women have combined travel with creativity and self-employment and are taking their portable employment ideas on the road.
We’re using travel to broaden our perspective, reframe our views on life, learn from other cultures and creative entrepreneurs around the world.
Painters, writers and photographers are always looking for new worlds to explore. They immerse themselves in a different culture and then bring it home in their work. You can do the same.
Let’s see which travel movie reflects the travel experience you’d most like to have.
Which travel movie seems to reflect the travel experience you’d most like to have? What do you like about that kind of journey? Please share your thoughts and comments below.