Curiosity and an Openness to Change: Your Keys to Mastering Midlife
The “Explore” t-shirt I’m wearing is my favorite item in my closet right now. As long as I'm being curious, discovering new things and connecting with new people, I feel confident that my future will be bright and interesting.
My coaching practice focuses heavily on midlife transitions, both professional and personal. I define “midlife” not by age – though, for fun, let’s call it 35-65 – but as that time when you have a lot of work and living behind you, and lots ahead.
For most of us, midlife presents moments that require a reconsideration of who we are and what we're doing with our time and energy. These moments are best navigated with a healthy dose of curiosity ... a willingness to explore the unknown. When confronting times of change, we need to find the balance between tapping into our lived experience while being careful not be limited by the things we already know or do well.
Change can be scary, but I always say “On the other side of fear lies desire.” In the spirit of exploring and moving towards what you desire, here are some of my favorite reads, listens and insights of the past couple months. Enjoy!
- Constantly overwhelmed? Try these excellent strategies for coping. The Harvard Business Review is a treasure trove of rich information for understanding and mastering work. I loved this piece on strategies to deal with the overwhelm of life these days. Read it, and breathe.
- The best podcast I’ve heard lately. Tim Ferris is my podcasting hero. He packs so much brilliance into every episode (along with a sometime annoying tech-bro arrogance). Check out his recent 90-minute Q&A loaded with exceptional wisdom and many incredible resources.
- Your Professional Decline is coming faster than you think ... but don’t worry. One of the most provocative pieces on midlife I’ve read in a long time. A deep-dive into what works better when we’re young, and how “crystalized intelligence” – your accumulated wisdom – is the key to thriving later in your career. Fascinating.
- Here’s what makes a great LinkedIn profile. Regardless of what you do professionally or where you are in your career, a clear and strong LinkedIn profile is de rigueur these days. I loved this article explaining what it takes to create a solid profile. Read it, and see how yours stands up.
- How to stop worrying about what others think of you. We all suffer from FOPO (Fear of Other People’s Opinions), right? This awesome article describes the concept of a “Personal Philosophy” and how having one will keep you powerfully connected to your best self.
- An ode to the long-suffering 1:1 meeting. This is a highly useful article about making the most of 1:1 meetings between managers and reports, written by my friend and coaching colleague Tim Snell. Tim offers great tips on how to make 1:1 conversations rich, connected and indispensable. A game-changing piece if you have a boss or direct reports.
- Check out my LinkedIn series on mastering midlife, both at work and in life. I’ve been sharing insights from my work with clients who are tackling mid- to late-career challenges and transitions. Hopefully some of these topics will be familiar and resonant. Visit my LinkedIn articles.
- Join me at Wisdom 2.0, 2020 in San Francisco. Next March, I’ll be attending my third Wisdom 2.0 Conference, a sprawling exploration of how we can live, work, lead and thrive more mindfully. This may sound a little woo-woo, but I’m telling you, the speakers and conversations at this conference will have your head spinning and will leave you with ideas and energy about approaching your life with greater presence and joy. Reach out if you’re considering and want a firsthand report.
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