Do you want to find a new job/ career after you leave your mid-years' employment? Do you feel a little queasy about proving yourself yet again after you've achieved much success in the career you just left? Well, know there are many who share your concerns, but dive into a new career, despite the jitters.
Whether for continuing challenge, to make money to supplement your pension, to experience the camaraderie of the workplace, or for the sheer pleasure of giving back to society ... many baby boomers and older are returning to work.
Brian Kurth of Vocation Vacations started a program for people like you, who might not know what they want to do next, but would like to try out several careers before committing to one.
In Kurth's recent newsletter he challenges us to reframe our uncomfortable reactions like stress or anxiety when facing a new experience. When we do something new, he writes, the hormone dopamine gets activated, giving us a sort of a high. And when that novelty is too challenging so that we experience stress, then cortisol jumps in to help soothe us.
The body has built in regulators and for most of us, these work just fine. So, instead of wallowing in boredom, lack of meaning, or frenetic social activity --- consider a new vocation. The combination of just the right amount of stress/newness and challenge creates the most satisfying experience for most of us.
Kurth's sentiments reflect one of my favorite concepts -- FLOW, that state of mind where we experience just enough challenge so that our brains stay attentive and keep developing new neuronal pathways. Csikszentmihalyi, the social scientist who researched "flow" describes it as an optimal experience, where we are absorbed in an activity. We are alert, pushing ourselves to the peak of our ability but not so much that we are overcome by anxiety. We feel exhilarated when we experience the mastery of learning and gaining competence in the new. Then we want to push ourselves to get more mastery.
Of course, we cannot expect to be in flow 100% of the time, but once we know the feeling, we want to recreate it. Look for those experiences as you try out any new activity or job.
What experiences have allowed you to get into Flow? Comment here on this post or email me at Karma@LifeSpringCoaching.com
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