Many Americans in the latter stage of a career, or even already in retirement, have discovered that it’s never too late to reinvent themselves and find new passion and purpose.
Folk artist Grandma Moses was in her late 70s before she began her painting career. Colonel Harland Sanders was in his 60s when he launched Kentucky Fried Chicken. Arnold Schwarzenegger reinvented himself a couple of times, going from professional body builder to actor to governor of California.
Sometimes referred to as “encore careers,” these second acts can reinvigorate you and give you a reason to greet each day with anticipation.
I wrote my first novel after working for more than four decades as an attorney. I was able to incorporate elements from my original career in law into my encore career as a writer.
In doing so, I didn’t completely shed my past self to take on this new identity. I’m still working as a lawyer, and I work nights on my writing.
So the bottom line is that I’ve pretty much added a second career into my life.
Feeling the urge to reinvent yourself? If so, I have three tips for you.
3 tips for reinventing yourself to find passion and purpose
- Realize that purpose is important.
After years in the same profession, it’s easy to become burned out and to operate on auto pilot as you perform the tasks of your job. Essentially, people can lose their sense of purpose. When they reinvent themselves, that purpose can be reignited. You’re much more likely to be successful when you’re driven by a sense of purpose.
- Find what excites you.
I always wanted to write, so it wasn’t surprising that pounding out a novel could become a passion for me. If you’re reinventing yourself, your reinvention might center on something you’re passionate about. That could mean returning to college to earn a degree, learning a musical instrument, or embarking on the career you dreamed of as a child but put aside for more practical pursuits.
- Don’t convince yourself that it’s too late.
It’s never too late. Many years ago, the newspaper advice columnist Abigail Van Buren who wrote Dear Abby, received a letter from a 36-year-old college dropout who wanted to return to school to become a doctor. This would-be physician worried that it would take at least seven years to finish all the schooling.
“In seven years I’ll be 43,” the letter writer lamented.
Abby responded with a question. “How old will you be in seven years if you don’t go back to college?”
I didn’t write that letter, but I did spend seven years working on my book, writing between 11 PM and 1:30 AM each night. Burning the midnight oil paid off, so it definitely wasn’t too late to get started. It’s important to put your mind to its full use.
With law, I was only using part of my brain. I wanted to do what I was capable of doing, so I began writing my novel.
You can do the same.
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Today’s guest contributor, Oliver Harris, is an author who spent 45 years working as a trial lawyer, prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney in both Chicago and Palm Beach County, Florida. Oliver’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Chicago, and his law degree is from the Indiana University School of Law.
Image source before quote added: Pixabay
