Want to thrive in your career today?
Be open-minded
Be curious
Be eager to learn
And get out of your comfort zone!
What’s exciting for us? Seeing alumnae from our EvolveMe Reinvention Collective training cohorts embrace lifelong learning as part of their special sauce!
As career returners and pivoters ourselves, we know that continuously learning and growing at every age and stage puts you in the driver’s seat of your career!
Within EvolveMe, Linda’s love for “figuring things out” has led to adding “CTO” to her co-founder role - even though she’s got zero background in tech. She’s also become more comfortable with being on video. NOT her comfort zone…
In her volunteer work, Judy is exploring how she can teach others what she learned from chairing a nonprofit board. She never imagined being in the position to do this when she accepted the role four years ago! And now she’s paying it forward…
When you challenge your perception of what you’re good at in low-stakes ways (hobbies, interests, volunteer roles), you “try on” different facets of yourself. It’s not about whether you succeed or not (we did four takes of the last video we made!) It's about having a growth mindset.
Rather than believing your talents, abilities, or gifts are fixed, a growth mindset lets you live in the space of “not yet.” And having a growth mindset is good for your career!
We can develop and learn new things at any age or stage. Yes, at midlife - even now!
Rather than: “I’m not the kind of person who_____”. (fill in interest, skill, talent etc.)
You become: “I'm not the kind of person who ____ YET.” (interest, skill, talent)
Experiment left and right. Go outside your comfort zone!
Here are five easy ways to try new things:
1) Do something once - anything!
Here’s a low-stakes, easy one. What can you try once? What’s on your bucket list?
A woman we worked with tried improv for the first time at age 48. Yup. She got up on stage and performed. She may never do it again, but the experience had a domino effect. It boosted her confidence expand her network and speak about herself in interviews!
This mindset will get you into the groove of experimenting with new opportunities. And that can translate over to your career. You don’t have to commit to your next professional role forever!
2) Reskill/upskill
More than anything, employers are looking for lifelong learners. That can be you – and this is a great time as we head into the summer – to be ready for whatever comes next.
Take time to identify what skills you need to round out your portfolio. Is there an online course you’ve been wanting to sign up for? What about digging into a new podcast?
You’ve probably signed up for countless webinars this year but haven’t attended them. No shame! Now’s the time to recommit to showing up.
There are so many opportunities now that are virtual, free, or low-cost. Learning new things is invigorating – take it from us as we reskilled at a startup in the first stage of our combined next chapter!
3) Teach what you love
What do you love to do? The thing that comes naturally to you? What do other people go to you for? The skills that are easiest for us are those we discount the most. It’s counterintuitive but true.
You may think that because you’re good at something, it’s either easy or everyone else can do it. That is simply not true! And others need you to share your special gifts.
What’s your special sauce? Are you good at organizing? Powerpoint? Cooking breakfast? Choosing gifts? Design? Algebra? Whatever it is, the act of teaching what you’re good at to others builds your confidence and competence muscle.
4) Set a physical challenge
When you challenge yourself physically, magical things can happen. And the good thing is that it’s all relative. Whether it’s getting more steps in your day or trying a new fitness class – moving your body more will set you in motion. The bonus? It will be good for your career!
When we challenge ourselves physically, it can help us feel stronger mentally. This is how success in one area of your life can fuel another. Tired of running the same loop? Ask a friend to run with you and train for a race together. You can find the half-hour in your schedule. If we can, we know you can too!
5) Make a difference.
The world has felt like a challenging place lately. It’s hard to know how to respond and often we can feel helpless.
What issues do you feel strongly about now? How can you contribute your time and talent to make a difference? Strategic volunteering opens fresh networks and allows us to flex new or underutilized skills. And that builds confidence!
Can you volunteer virtually? Research organizations whose mission is meaningful to you. Start by thinking about what problem you want to help solve. There are so many free resources now to learn and get involved! Now is the time to explore what you care about.
We’re setting you up for success!
Before you try any of these 5 tips to boost your growth mindset, head to our FREE resource: 6 Mindset Traps That Sabotage Midlife Career Reinvention (and how to avoid them!) to learn about what mindsets sabotage career success.
Let’s do this! We can’t wait to hear one new thing you’ll try. We promise it will open up what’s possible for you!