Life Change –8 Ways To Discover If You’re Ready For One

There comes a point in life when we begin to feel different; not good different and not necessarily bad different - just different. The hard ‘stuff’ is over and now we are freer and wiser than ever before. It’s that precious time we waited for, worked towards, time for those things we postponed a million times for a million good and not so good reasons; when the kids are through college, the house is paid off , we have more money, finally retire, or we feel more stable; then we’ll have the time for ‘fill in the blank.’

We have all heard the phrases many times; the third act, the last chapter, (I prefer to call it the re-awakening) but chances are we never thought they applied to ‘us’, right? Most of us were so focused on taking care of everyone else and getting there we might not have taken the time to think about or plan it with any sincerity.
When it finally arrives many times we find ourselves uncomfortable and surprisingly confused about what we would like to do and even where we’d like to be. To our dismay all those things we kept in our secret treasure boxes to be pulled out when the time was right no longer seem that appealing through the eyes of a 50 + year old.

So when do you know if that strange persistent niggling desire for ‘something different’ is your signal it’s time for a life change, or better yet a re-awakening?

Do we wake up one day and realize that our lives are more than half way over and it’s time to make the so called bucket list? Well that’s not how it happened for me but there were some cumulative revelations that I think we all share:

•We no longer feel defined by a job title or where we are on the ‘ladder’. Like it or not and most certainly in today’s financial climate the 50+ worker is looked at differently. (As in you’re still here?) Now we begin to realize just how arbitrary ‘success’ is and with the gift of hindsight we long to fulfill our own version of the good life.

•We begin to hear many of our friends and relatives are experiencing serious health issues and even dying at what we consider to be ‘so young.

•We notice our children are now adults with children of their own and our advice and help is not needed in the way it once was.

•We realize that our parents seem to have suddenly aged and we have to think about how we will care for THEM!

•We find ourselves coming to terms with the fact that they might not be with us all that much longer or worse, maybe that time has arrived and one or both of them are gone.

•When we reunite with high school friends and pull out the old high school annual to compare the face we remembered with the one we now see. (Our picture is in there too! Yikes)

•When we listen to the news and wonder just when good old common sense left the planet and was replaced by something called “spin”.

•When we begin to hear that small voice in our head that asks “is this all there is?”

So, if any of this sounds familiar and you find yourself wondering why everything is beginning to look and feel different it could be time for a re-awakening. In fact, I say ‘congratulations’ because this is the perfect time to realize…

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."
–Sophia Loren

I love that quote and it is so true but the real question is Where to Start?

That is a good question. Sometimes we spend so much time thinking about and pondering what to do we wind up doing nothing. So here are four ways to help make a decision:

1.Set a time limit. Decide how much time you are willing to spend researching and thinking about it. When the time is up – let go and DECIDE. There will always be a better answer or a better deal. At some point you need to think about what your time is worth.

2.Start small. Instead of over-thinking start small until you build your confidence to go bigger.

3.Do it with someone else. If you’re a little nervous why not try doing it with someone you feel safe with?

4.Imagine there are no consequences. What if you felt everything would turn out just as you planned? What would you decide?

If you feel you're ready for a life change the important thing is to start; do something, do anything! Even if it isn’t perfect or exactly what you thought it would be the act of ‘doing’ begins to take on some momentum. As you make your adjustments, and you will, soon you will have progress in the right direction.