At EvolveMe, we’ve been cheering Serena on as she winds down her tennis career and embarks on her next challenge.
And we’re inspired by the mindset she’s embracing in her next chapter. One that’s at the very core of EvolveMe.
“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me.“
Turns out tennis isn’t her only superpower - and we’re not surprised.
Thinking about career transition as a personal and professional evolution is the#1 mindset you need if you’re reinventing your career in midlife.
After a historic tennis career, Serena is focusing on her venture capital company - paying it forward to women and minority-owned start-ups. And she set herself up for her next move long before the time came to take a leap.
Because rather than throwing in the towel - the end of one chapter opened the door to another!
If you’re exploring a return to the workforce or professional pivot, how you think about your career makes all the difference.
In fact, your perspective can make the difference between staying stuck and moving ahead.
Here are 3 ways to think about your career as an evolution - one that unfolds over time, maturing and developing from simple to complex (which is a good thing!):
1) Choose your own adventure!
Remember those stories from when you were young, the ones with multiple endings? You could choose “your own adventure.” When you view your career in this non-linear fashion, the possibilities are endless.
Your career story is yours to write. A journey in which each role, project, or acquired skill is a stop along the way. You evolve as you pick up new experiences - making you more layered, complex, interesting, and authentically YOU.
Ask yourself: What are endings 1, 2, and 3 for how your next career move plays out?
2) Make your experience “work for you”
From our work helping women embark on successful next chapters in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, we know the entirety of experience you’ve accumulated by midlife is your competitive advantage. The key is understanding how to make it work for the opportunities you want to pursue!
Use one set of skills to inform the next. There’s no doubt in our mind that “Serena the tennis champion” will shape “Serena the venture capitalist” in ways that are unique to her. Her perseverance, determination, discipline, and hard work will undoubtedly shape her as a business executive. Those are skills she’s taking from the court into the boardroom.
Ask yourself: What are the unique skills you can bring into a new role or field?
3) Embrace the stages of “becoming”
You’ve heard the phrase, “Enjoy the ride.” This mindset is especially true when it comes to career reinvention. Change is the only constant. When you’re flexible and adaptable, embracing the present (the smooth travel and the bumps in the road) rather than wishing you were in a different place, you leave yourself open to possibilities and success.
We hear so many women say, “I should be further along in my career by now.”
Flip your narrative! You’re right where you need to be. Every experience - whether you’re having a career win or feeling a dip in confidence - is there to teach you what you need to make your next move.
Ask yourself: What can I learn in this moment? About myself? My relationship to success? Or to my work?
There’s no doubt in our minds that career evolution is better TOGETHER! Evolution is all about forward movement. And as career returners and pivoters ourselves, we know the way to get unstuck and move farther, faster, is in the company of women who share your same goals.
We created EvolveMe based on this very premise. We believe we all have a next chapter (or 2 or 3) in us. You’re not done yet! Not even close.
Want more tips on how to evolve with community, structure, and support? Take our Reinvention Readiness QUIZ to see if you’re a match for our signature training program, the Reinvention Collective!
We want more for you. Here’s to your career evolution!
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