What Do You Prize Most in Mid-life?  

By Craig Nathanson, 

The Vocational Coach 

The big question: What's really important? 

The message I deliver most to mid-life professionals is that a key ingredient of happiness is finding vocational passion.

It's finding the perfect alignment of interests and  

abilities that make going to work seem like it isn't work at all.  

People who find the magic balance tend to be healthier and  

more energetic.  In turn, they find more satisfaction in  

other areas of their lives.  

Too many people go through life without having their  

interests and abilities aligned.  The inevitable result is a  

feeling of deep ennui as people drag themselves out of bed  

every day to endure the grind required to support the  

lifestyles of their families.  You may do this well, even  

exceptionally.  But the work itself is rarely what propels  

people.  Instead, it's a sense of obligation or a feeling of  

being trapped.  

But there is another way.  You can develop a plan to escape  

the grind, then find work that means something and build a  

comfortable lifestyle around it.  Too many people allow  

their lifestyles (or the lifestyles they are conditioned to  

expect) to dictate the kind of work they do.  And that is  

where so many people get into trouble, both spiritually and  

financially.   

I discovered all of this the hard way.  Now, my mission is  

to take what I've learned and help others as they transition  

into their life's vocational passion.  This requires  

courage, risk, and a willingness to make significant  

personal changes.  But with determination and planning,  

anyone can do it.  You will later ask yourself why you  

waited so long.  

Waking up to the rest of your life 

I had a good job, a million-dollar house, and a great  

family.  I also had staggering personal debt from leading a  

materialistic lifestyle.  To top it off, I found no  

satisfaction in my work.  

My way out came suddenly.  Three years ago, I had an  

epiphany as I stood before my coworkers, giving yet another  

Power Point presentation.  I suddenly shut down.  I realized  

that I couldn't do it anymore.  

I woke up the next morning and felt, more or less, back to  

my old self.  Perhaps they were right, I thought.  Maybe I  

just had a touch of the flu.  So I drove to work.  But I  

never left the parking lot.  

I didn't take the final plunge right away.  I felt too tied  

to the life I was living.  So I struggled through other jobs  

over the next few years.  But the results and feelings were  

the same.  

Finally, I had enough.  This was despite the responsibility  

of being the sole provider for my wife and three children,  

having a mortgage, caring for a seriously ill child, dealing  

with growing medical bills, and shouldering $200,000 in  

credit card debt.  

In 2002, in the middle of a tough economy, I walked away  

from a six-figure job as a vice president and managing  

director of a billion-dollar multinational firm.  This time,  

there was no turning back.  

I had no intention of walking away from my responsibilities.  

 But I had to find a way to earn an income in a more  

meaningful way.  

Today, I have a private consulting practice, a busy speaking  

schedule, and a book - all focused on helping others in  

mid-life discover and do what they love.  Every day in my  

practice, I see people who are having the same emotional,  

professional, financial, and relationship challenges that I  

went through.   

It wasn't easy getting here.  The first few years were  

extremely painful.  Financial stress increased,  

relationships were strained, and emotional stress reached  

all-time highs.  But now, three years later, I have finally  

emerged with a more congruent and authentic life. I say with  

confidence that it has all been worth it.  

The first step: Know what matters to you 

If you want to find your vocational passion, it has to begin  

with a question: What is most important to you?  This may be  

the most important question you will ever ask yourself.  You  

need to look deep inside yourself to turn your vague  

longings into tangible goals, with real paths toward  

achieving them.   

Once you answer the question and see the path that the  

answers light for you, then it's time to summon the courage  

to make the transition.   

Matt Vande Voorde walked away from an executive position at  

a large bank to follow what he prized most in his life:  

magazine publishing.  His dream was to one day publish a  

magazine targeted at helping people with disabilities use  

the Internet.  Today, Matt is the proud publisher of  

Accessible Content Magazine.  

Jim Goebelbecker was tired of long hours selling products  

that he didn't care about.  He prized his family and  

nonprofit work.  He also took a risk and never looked back.   

Today, Jim is an executive with a large nonprofit on the  

east coast.  He works just 10 minutes away from his home.  

Five steps to discover and follow your passion 

Making this level of change in your life isn't an overnight  

process.  Once you understand that a change is essential to  

making the rest of your life matter, you can follow this  

simple process to move your dreams and desires into concrete  

actions.   

Evaluate what you want.  Ask the big questions and answer  

them honestly.  Why lie to yourself?  

Envision your future.  You need to visualize what you're  

dreaming about.  Then, develop a concrete understanding of  

what it will take to get there.  

Tune out negative feedback.  Everyone will try to talk you  

out of doing this.  Listen to yourself.  

Assess your risks.  Take an inventory of your assets,  

obligations, and health.  Then, make the necessary  

adjustments that will minimize the impact and risk of making  

a major life change.  

Take small steps.  You don't have to quit tomorrow.  You can  

start in small ways by doing research on your dream  

vocation, maybe taking a class.  Or you can make small  

lifestyle changes to reduce your personal "burn rate."  

In the end, you must give yourself permission to follow your  

heart.  That's what I did.  So did Matt, Jim, and so many  

others.  They now jump out of bed each morning looking  

forward to a day of vocational passion.  You can have this  

feeling too.  First, you must decide what's really most  

important.  

Craig Nathanson, The Vocational Coach, works with those in  

mid-life to discover and do the work they love.  He is the  

author of "P is for Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day,"  

by Book Coach Press.  He publishes the free monthly e-zine,  

"Vocational Passion in Mid-life."  Craig believes the world  

works a little better when we do the work we love.  Visit  

his online community at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com   

where you can sign up for his monthly tele-class and the 

vocational passion action groups.