I recently finished reading “From Strength To Strength” by Arthur Brooks. The book is essentially about how to recognize our declines–both mental and physical. And how to move forward onto a new chapter in our lives. First off, I would recommend this read because it is very insightful regarding recognizing your decline and what to do about it. Second, I would NOT recommend this read because the author is very booshie–numerous references to his past and present ritzy life style, name dropping people none of us will ever meet in our lifetime, and having the ability to make wholesale changes in his life at the point of mid-life–pretty unrealistic to the average American.
Anyway, this is about recognizing when you start to decline, what your career half-life is, and how to move onto a productive next chapter. Some might see this as a mid-life crisis event, but it’s the total opposite–this is how to prevent a mid-life crisis. The most recognizable example of knowing your decline and moving forward with productivity is the professional athlete. How many times have we seen a player age in their sport, not want to give up only to hold on too long, then become a liability to his team? We all noticed the decline in their play, but they refused to see it. This is what we all must avoid.
The way through, is to find–in my opinion–a common vocation to our career to catapult into. Once again, we will use the example of the professional athlete. We have all seen the player who ends their career, when he or she should, to become a sports caster or a team owner? This is the example we are looking for. Some type of common ground to not make this transition too difficult. Using more common folk examples would be a construction worker becoming an owner; an auto mechanic becoming an instructor; a salesman becoming a manager; a financial consultant becoming an economy teacher. The object is to use the knowledge and experience which we have accrued to benefit others at this point. Because, let’s be honest, at the point of your declined you will have a difficult time learning new things without forgetting old ones.
Once again, the biggest issue in this situation is actually RECOGNIZING and ACCEPTING our decline. When you cannot accept this fate, this fact of nature, you will become foolish and possibly left behind, and lost. The author speaks of making wholesale changes at this point of decline, but let’s face it, this just isn’t feasible for most people. The most important thing is to recognize and accept it. From there, you will be able to research parallel shifts, brainstorm with others in your field, ask questions about next steps. And above all, don’t be afraid to ask for help, we will all decline at some point.