In the past, many successful friends also faced job losses, health issues or international moves. I observe how when we are pulled out of our program of going to work and caring for family, we open up to change. We start to clean up our lives when we are at the bottom, when a crisis hits and when we feel all alone in this world.

It is more difficult to change when you are not forced to. When we feel healthy enough we don’t feel like watching our diet or go to the doctor for a check-up. It is harder to make an effort to learn when you have a well-paid managerial job. The reason for this is not always time. Learning occurs when we stretch outside of our comfort zones but who will do that unless he or she is pushed a little?

Where are the risk-takers, who voluntarily expose themselves to learning situations that keep their brains active? Is an international career and transition into another culture one of those potential stretches you could do? Is it running your own company? Or becoming a mentor to a more junior professional in your industry? Or is it finally time to focus on your personal life, on finding that life partner or having those kids?

In today’s global and digital world, do you still want to depend on an “employer” and make your self-worth dependent on a title such as “Vice President” or “Senior Manager”? Is that really driving you? Is another suit, car or holiday really going to make your life so much better?

We need to deconstruct careers. 

If you think about your own professional life, you might be experiencing automation, the death of industry and digitalization right now. Have you asked yourself if you will still have a “retirement” in 20 or 30 years? Maybe you won’t even stop “working” because your work gives you purpose.

Being a Gen-X, I believe in ‘work hard, play hard’. At the same time, I would like to make a contribution to the world. And I am pretty sure right now that giving all of my energy to a multinational is NOT how I contribute to this world, to making it better, to helping people prosper and to support peace.

What about you?

Do you want to spend hours discussing words on a presentation or numbers in a business case?

Do you want to be part of the ”Walking Dead” of the workforce? 

Do you want to continue pretending that you are better off alone?

Or do you want to take charge of your life right now?

Master of Global Mobility