A Career Path with "Heart" - What's That?

In my June 25th blog, (see below), I asked Does Your Career Path Have Heart? . . . . or Heartburn?

It occured to me, in hindsight, that you cannot answer that question unless I define what I mean by "heart." In other words, does your career path excite you? . . . lift your spirits? . . . feed  your soul? . . . make you happy? . . feel more like play than work?  Is your work meaningful? . . . satisfying?                                                                              

IT TAKES GUTS TO HONESTLY ADMIT TO YOURSELF THAT THE ANSWER IS NO. Let's get clear: there is no shame or guilt or beating yourself up necessary--unless you want to make yourself miserable.

The better alternative to stewing and chewing is to begin to reinvent yourself NOW! Ask yourself the following questions:  (Answer off the top of your head with the first words that comes to mind. Brainstorm without judgment or analysis. No deep archaeological digging}

• If my path had heart, what would it look like? . . . feel like? How would I think differently? . . . act differently?
• If you had all the money, training, and emotional support to be all you can be, what would you have accomplished by now?
• What did you dream about being or doing as a child?  ( I can hear you saying, "It's too late; how cam I make money at that now?  Stop it. Get out of your head for the moment.}

George Eliot of Silas Marner fame says it best:                            "It's never too late to be who you might have been."

Comments

[Diana Krajewski]

My favorite question is "What did you dream about doing as a child?". Posing this question to the adult gives us permission to not only remember the dream - but ACT on the dream.

[reader]

Suppose one's passion is in something that is not financially practical, such as the arts and humanities? Suppose all the things one is passionate about require many years of specialized education one can't afford. I appreciate the encourage to follow one's dreams, but how does this work out in practical, every day life when one has to work to barely pay for food and the bills with no extra money for education or personal projects and the time spent working, cleaning, cooking, writing job aplications, etc. takes all of one's time and energy? How does one do this when the gatekeepers keep the doors closed to women, especially those of dark complexions? I have been struggling to finish my Ph.D. for 18 years. I would probably need another M.A. in education after that to get anywhere in academia. How does one start in a new career at the age of about 60? It's not an easy task to follow one's dreams.