It’s that time of year. We’re seeing texts and posts from friends whose kids are heading back to or starting college. mmm
Linda’s family is taking one last trip this week before her youngest leaves for school. She's having a true “midlife milestone moment.” Come September, she’ll be an empty nester.
This transition point is like so many women face in midlife – it can be unsettling but exciting at the same time. Opening doors for new opportunities to focus on ourselves.
This summer, Judy got to stand between two tectonic plates while on her family trip to Iceland, where the country pledge is “be prepared for all weather." Translate: Be open to new adventures.
But that’s easier said than done.
Is transition causing a loss of identity for you?
For the first five years of Linda’s caregiving break, she introduced herself in terms of her previous Wall Street career. It took a long time for her to be comfortable with her career pause and embrace a new identity.
And when Judy left her long-term executive role at Girl Scouts, she struggled with identity loss. The organization is a household name, and people had always been interested in what she did.
Serena Williams captured it ALL this week, describing her own transition as an “evolution” rather than a retirement. We were (obviously!) thrilled to see her use this term!
Rather than ending her career, she framed it as starting a new chapter. And she’d had her VC company, Serena Ventures, in the works for years – planning for this day.
Shifting to an “Evolution mindset” to power you through transitions can help you see the possibilities that lay before you, rather than dwelling on the past.
Of course, grieving an identity loss is a normal part of any transition process. And we need to give ourselves time to acknowledge the change.
But if you remain in this state for too long, you’ll lose sight of the doors that are OPEN for you.
You need to view your career (and life, for that matter!) as a set of experiences, chapters or seasons that have their time and place.
Rather than focusing on what you’re losing, think about evolving into something new, and yes! - maybe even more complex - as you’ll have layers of experience to draw from.
Much like the stages a butterfly goes through to reach its maximum beauty and potential!
When we choose to evolve, we’re not leaving behind who we were – we’re building. Bringing the best of who we are into our next opportunity, role, or identity.
Evolution is all about forward movement – we’re never standing still. Change is constant, after all – and we hope you can all evolve with us as gracefully as Serena has!
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!
Want more tips on how to do it 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! Our seventh cohort starts October 2022 and registration is open! We're waiting for you.
Here’s to your evolution!
