by Linda Lautenberg and Judy Schoenberg, Co-founders of EvolveMe
In the season of gratitude, we’re thankful to have a work anniversary to celebrate! Woo hoo! It’s hard to believe it’s been two years this week since we launched EvolveMe. And to think it coincided with Women’s Entrepreneur’s Day! Now that’s serendipity…
So much has happened in the world, in our business, for us as entrepreneurs and for all the women we’ve worked with since we founded our company. We’re so grateful for how far we’ve come. You made it happen!
And you can do the same for you.
What’s there to be grateful for in midlife? These mindsets will get you on the right track:
1. You have an edge in many ways - life experience, wisdom, perspective...
2. You’re not starting from scratch.
3. You’re just getting started!
We get it. This all sounds easier said than done. We’ll give you a shortcut!
One of the most powerful ways to believe you have what it takes for a second chapter is to reflect on all the accomplishments (YOURS) that you’re grateful for.
What got you here...will get you there!
It was only when Judy recognized the transferable expertise she’d gained in her career at Girl Scouts that she believed a career change was possible.
And only when Linda realized her nonprofit leadership (during her career break) could inform her next chapter did she think about re-launching her career in a mission-driven direction.
Research shows that gratitude increases resilience, happiness, and self-awareness. It’s also been found to lead to physical health benefits, including better sleep. All of which you need in order to focus on your career transition -- so why not give it a try?
Try practicing gratitude for your career in these 5 ways and see what gems you can uncover!
Take 5 for the BIG 5
Take 5 minutes to outline the BIG 5 that you’re grateful for over the course of your career. It can be recent experiences, from the beginning of your career, or anything in between. It all starts with appreciating the accomplishments, achievements, relationships, opportunities, milestones you already have! What you appreciate grows.
Think of one thing for each of the areas below and you’ll come away with a renewed sense of how much you have to start with as you start to think about your next steps.
Achievements: What individual achievements are you grateful for? What was your unique contribution to a project that you’re proud of?
Accomplishments: What have you accomplished that positively impacted others outside of yourself? What problems are you grateful that you’ve helped solve?
Relationships. Who are you thankful for in your career journey? What relationships have shaped you along the way?
Opportunities: What opportunities are you grateful for in your career? Often these can be found early on in your career. For Judy, it was going to the Beijing World Conference on Women when she was 24! and for Linda, it was the Prudential Accelerated Career Entry program that gave her access to so many opportunities at the outset of her career!
Milestones: What milestone moments are your most proud of landing? A promotion? Getting recognized for your contributions? Longevity in a company or industry?
Once you realize the meaning these experiences hold for you, you can head into a career transition -- whether your relaunching or pivoting careers in midlife -- with confidence knowing you’ve done it before and you CAN do it again!
What else are we grateful for? The success our Reinvention Collective alumni are having in landing roles, launching companies and finding their next chapters!
"A big THANK YOU to you both and to EvolveMe for being my wind and helping me regain the confidence to not only try something new but most importantly to allow myself the freedom to explore my true gifts, let go of “should” demons, and take a step closer to joy at work." - Melissa
"Thank you so much for everything. I’m extremely grateful. My outlook and career path are much shinier because of you!" -Shira
We want this for you! Want to dig even deeper into understanding the professional you? Download EvolveMe’s Personal User Manual HERE: www.evolveme.work/manual. You’ll gain greater insight into who you want to be at work as you move forward in new directions!