Time is Running Out. Is it Too Late to Pursue My Career Dreams?

Was there a time when you had dreams of a fulfilling career?  

Have your glorious attempts at pursuing your big vision fizzled out into a damp squib?

Perhaps all those passions to make the world a better place have come crashing down, and you have found yourself back in the humdrum of life.

You might be a parent who has had to put your career dreams on hold while you raise the kids.

Or maybe you are nearing retirement, and experiencing limitations in time and energy levels.

Maybe your career dreams involve a husband, but they still haven’t shown up.

You wonder, is there any point in investing all that energy?  Is it too late to go after my career dreams?

It is a genuine and vital question and one I come across in my clients time and time again.  

Here are three things to consider:

ONE.  Understand that your current situation is part of a bigger story.

Think of your life as a story.  Every story starts with a hero who has this call to adventure, a dream if you like. 

(I hate to ruin it for you, but every story has a struggle.)

The hero feels this call to adventure and crosses the threshold of safety into the unknown.  A big STRUGGLE ensues, with lots of trials, failure, growth and sometimes even a sort of dying and rebirth.  

But within all of that struggle, the hero gains new skills, develops character, and is changed, transformed and reborn.

So it is with you.  

You may have started pursuing those career dreams you have felt like giving up because of the struggle along the way.  But this is all part of the journey.

Like most stories, you need to remember that the hero who emerges is stronger, wiser and much more likely to win or see their dream fulfilled.

Often in the second half of our lives, we are just getting to the point where the struggle has equipped us to step into the dream.  We have the character, wisdom, skills and resilience to make it work.

Remember that you’re just in a phase. Don’t give up before the final act.

TWO. Get clear about how this career dream fits into the deeper purpose of your life.

When I coached Claire, she was nearing her 50th birthday and asking precisely this question.  She knew she was made for so much more but felt time was running out.  It weighed on her so heavily that she was becoming depressed.  

She was a senior manager in a clothing company and sang at weddings in a local band at the weekends.  

When we explored the deeper purpose of her life, she realised that she was passionate about young people knowing they are unique and valuable.  

‘I realised that all I do is designed to communicate to young people that they are lovable no matter what, and I’m content with that.’

Her personal purpose became the driver for her next steps.  

She took the pressure off having to get it all right then and there.  Instead, she invested more in music at weekends, and shortly after this she got her break.   She joined an established band that soon went on to tour America and Australia.  The band’s core mission was for young people to be confident in themselves and as such, she also got to speak to many of these young people at the end of their gigs.

THREE. Take an inspiring outsider’s view.

Sometimes we can get very stuck in our heads as we wrestle with these questions.   

Gaining someone else’s view — someone you hold in high regard — of our situation can often shine a light on the answer.  

So, grab a pen and paper and answer the following questions without overthinking them.  

• Who in the world do you most admire?

• What do you admire most about them?

• What would they say about whether it is too late for you to pursue your career dreams?

• What new powerful insights are you gaining?

In considering whether it is too late to pursue your career dreams…

First, make sure you are not giving up just before the final act.

Second, go back to why your career dreams are important to you.

And third, consider what the person you most admire in the world would say.

You will gain a fresh perspective, shine a light on the truth and a way forward is likely to emerge.

Do you feel like time is slipping through your fingers?  Is decision making about the future consuming you?

Having experienced the pain of failed dreams, I know what it is like to wonder if it is too late to start again.  But having come out the other side, I now love helping people to find a way forward that is right for them.

If you need help to decide whether to go for it one last time, why not drop me a line, and let’s work out a plan to get you back on track.

Private message me or visit MarianneWelshCoaching.com.