…is still ahead of you. If you want it to be.
There is a point in time in our careers for many of us when we begin to wonder whether our best work is behind us. Somehow the years have turned into decades and our tolerance for the grind in a sterile corporate environment begins to dissipate. The tasks that energized us in our youth now seem small and insignificant in the scheme of things.
And then there’s the creeping sense of doubt. It works its way in to your brain carrying the message that suggests, “Well, maybe my best work is behind me.” When you feel this creeping doubt over whether your potential for something grand (at least as you define grand) is slowly evaporating, you have arrived at a fork in the road.
Sidenote: Yogi Berra was right, when he said: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
One path is the acceptance of a dreamless professional future. Mark your time, don’t make waves, follow the advice of the experts on socking away your retirement funds. (After all, what can possibly go wrong with delaying gratification until your retirement years?)
At some point, you know that your role will be outsourced, insourced, made obsolete by something in the cloud or a robot or both, and at that time, you can as my good friend Eric describes the situation, “become a ghost in our economy.”
The other path is to reinvent yourself.
This path quickly runs out of sight and looks ominous. It is filled with humbling experiences and twists and turns that will make you doubt yourself and doubt your choice. However, after struggling down this path a bit, you might just be surprised to discover something remarkable. You are alive. You are learning. You are joyful, and eventually, you realize that you are doing the best work of your life. Everything else was just practice.
Choose the right path for you. Your best work is still ahead of you if you want it to be.
–Related Posts:
The Next Act: Answering the Wake-up Call
The Next Act: Pivot to Focus on Your Superpower
—
Get the latest e-book (free) from Art: “A Bold Cup of Leadership Caffeine: Ideas to Stimulate High Performance.”
—
Art Petty serves senior executives and management teams as a performance coach and strategy facilitator. Art is a popular speaker and workshop presenter focusing on helping professionals and organizations learn to survive and thrive in an era of change. Additionally, Art’s books are widely used in leadership development programs. To learn more or discuss a challenge, contact Art.
See posts in the Leadership Caffeine™ series.
—
Read More of Art’s Motivational Writing on Leadership and Management at About.com!
—
Leave A Comment