Tired? Or retired? Plan a new vocation (Part 2)

Once you have envisioned the ideal, start to deal with the practicalities.

 

Fill in the details
Once you have envisioned the ideal, start to deal with the practicalities. Include all the basics such as field, position, location and income. Include what is important to you on the softer side, such as work culture, relationships, leadership styles, values and opportunities. Be as specific as you can. Refer to your list of what was wrong and what was missing from your previous situation and make sure you include their opposites in your list.

You don’t need to know every detail about your next job or vocation. Just identify what is important and then you can be open to discovering the many ways that your criteria can be met. The most important parts are what you feel most strongly, as those feelings and images will guide you to your desires.

Any major change involves compromising, and a retirement or change in vocation is no exception. As you begin to consider the implications of the changes you want, you will also notice what you have to compromise. If you are planning to retire, you have to prepare yourself that you no longer have the status and security that came from being associated with that company. However, those familiar aspects of your life can be created anew, perhaps in very different ways when you take on a second vocation.

Prepping yourself this way is important because it affects your core identity and can have an impact on your confidence and motivation. It is useful to imagine these changes before you go through with them so that you can be prepared. You will need to develop new attitudes and support systems as you get used to all aspects of your new vocation.

Your new change may also affect your family and friends, who may resist to some degree. You can prepare them by being open and honest about what they can expect. At the same time, you may need to enlist some new friends to support you through this challenging time. 

No one can go through a major career change without feeling some fear, uncertainty and loss. Think of those feelings as a signal of your growth and development, just as important in the later transitions of your life as at any time. The more you let go, the more you will reap the benefits of the change you desire.

 

Invest in the change
The process of finding fulfilling work is challenging but ultimately very rewarding. It affects what you experience and achieve in your lifetime and allows you to express your highest purpose. In our age of unprecedented choice, more people are aiming high in their careers in terms of achieving their greatest personal aspirations. As a consequence, there are many more opportunities and services available now to support you in this challenging endeavour.

You may need continuing education in your new field, new contacts to break into new social and business networks, and time to contemplate and plan. To complement these key stakes, your best investment is someone who will help you reflect and make your own choices; someone with an open mind who will believe in your dreams and champion you to do your best.

 

You can also check out volunteer opportunities available at http://www.c3a.org.sg/volunteerism/