I read a recent article from Inc. that talked about the fact that starting at about 18 we become less happy until the age of 47.2 when our happiness curve starts to go back in the upwards direction leveling off in our mid-60s.

The midlife crisis makes more sense now.

It also makes sense to me why many of the coaching clients I work with begin to think about changing up their career trajectory in their mid-40’s. If they are parents, their kids are becoming more self-sufficient which opens up more time for them. They are beginning to recognize that their happiness must be their priority.  They are less concerned at this point with the idea that pursuing their own career satisfaction might be seen as selfish or indulgent. They want to focus on themselves.

At this point, my clients approach their career reset in one of two ways. They either make a BIG leap and let the chips for where they may or they start slowly making simple and small changes to create a new career path for themselves. It doesn’t matter. Simply by doing something they begin to see that a new career path where they are doing work that lights them up is within reach.

Don’t Fret If You Are Under 47.2

When I read this article and supporting research, I thought about the women like you perhaps, who are not yet 47.2. You are on the downside of the happiness curve. Awesome! You and millions of others are feeling a decrease in happiness. The difference is now you are aware. With this awareness, you can begin to make changes sooner to create a career that is fully aligned with who you are and what you love doing.

Don’t Fret If you are Over 47.2

If, like me, you are over 47.2 then do the happy dance … because you are on the upswing. Career happiness is in your grasp. Maybe you have already begun to make the shift.

If you are not feeling like doing a happy dance, I suspect it is because you are still stuck in a career that you don’t love, with people you tolerate, for a company that doesn’t get you.

DO NOT WASTE ONE MORE MINUTE IN A JOB THAT DOES NOT LIGHT YOU UP.

For me, it felt like a call. I would wake up in the morning thinking, “not this again?” and trudge to work finding fun where I could but never losing the low-level heaviness of blah.

I had to do something. Even though it made no logical sense to leave behind a successful and lucrative recruiting business, I knew it was a choice between feeling more and more down or feeling alive.

I began to explore. I found a therapist, did personal growth work, read books, attended conferences, and journaled … a lot!  I got a coach and began to explore spiritual ideas and use my intuition and other inner and outer guidance tools to show me the vision and the path I really wanted to be on.

This led me to getting certified and launching my Career Transformation coaching business. The process began before I was 47.2 and became a reality after I was 47.2 but ultimately it was not about my age. It was about how I wanted to use my work as my form of service while having fun, making money, and making a difference.

Coaching was it for me. What is ‘it” for you?

If you know you are done with the career you are in now but haven’t done anything to change things because you aren’t sure what to do next you are not alone.

The truth is you do not have to understand exactly where you are going to change your career circumstances for the better.

Your Career Transformation is only as hard as you let your thoughts make it. Like any change, the first step is to admit there is a problem. You are unhappy in your career. You want something new. You are not sure what exactly, but you are willing to start the exploration instead of staying lost, stuck, and unhappy.

Here is some great advice I got from my coach while I was in the process of figuring this out and I will pass along to you:

Simply follow what feels the most like fun and do that. 

That will lead you to what to do next. And that will lead you to your next step and the next and the next until you wake up one morning and you love going to work!

Whatever side of 47.2 you are on does not matter. Do not let 1 more year go by. Commit to making changes. Your career happiness is waiting for you … at any age!

I could not have gotten through my Career Transformation as easily as I did without my coach. If the idea of working with me sounds like a fun next step, then schedule a call today.