Research shows that when a woman reaches the later stages of her career she seeks authenticity and wants something that falls more in line with her values.
Whilst authenticity may be sought earlier in life, it is quite often as a woman gets older, that she starts to question what life is all about and what her purpose in life is.
It is often at this stage in life that women become more spiritual and yearn for balance between mind, body and soul.
At the age of 44, after a long successful career, I realised that I needed to be my authentic self and pursue a career where I was fully able to utilise what I am good at and enjoy doing.
I also have family and friends of a similar age group who are also now at a place where they are seeking authenticity in their lives. They too are actively pursuing this.
When I was younger, it was more about the challenge of taking on more and more responsibility and the rewards that came with that.
However, that came at a price, such as constantly working 10 hour (sometimes longer) days without stopping for a lunch break and not fully switching off, often taking work home.
Whilst I enjoyed that at the time, now I am pursuing a career that adds meaning and value to my life.
As we go through different stages of life, we have different needs and values. Often a person will do a job that does not fit in with their values, just to pay the bills. But I believe life is not just about living to pay the bills. Life is for living. We only have one life and it is not a rehearsal so why not live the life you are meant to live.
Do you want more of a balance between work and home life but are not getting it? Do you want a career that is more challenging but are in a job that does not challenge you at all? Do you want authenticity but are doing a job that goes against what you value? If you relate to any of these, you are probably not content with your job, possibly displaying signs of stress and finding that going to work is an effort.
You may wonder what you can do about your situation or may not even know that this applies to you but you just know that getting up and going to work everyday is a drudgery.
We spend too much of our time at work to be doing a job we do not enjoy. I have seen too many people moan about how much they hate their job but not do anything about it.
We can quite easily do the same job year in and year out and become stuck in a rut, not enjoying what we do. I believe that if we get to a point where we no longer enjoy our job, we have to do something about it.
It can also be easy to try to please other people, and it can be tempting to try to change who we are to fit other people’s needs and expectations, losing sight of who we really are. This is not usually done deliberately, it could be due to a lack of confidence or because we think we are not special or unique.
Everybody is special and unique in their own way and has strengths or something they are good at. I believe that everybody has something positive that they can say they have achieved.
Are you seeking authenticity in your life? Are your values aligned with your work? Do you even know what your values are?
Try listing all the aspects of life that you value and are important to you such as family time, creativity, personal development, spirituality, your faith, friendship, integrity, love, self-respect etc. and look at whether you are satisfied with the amount of time you spend on these areas.
Does your current career match your values? If not, it might be time to for you to find a career that better suits your values, if you want a more fulfilling life and career.
Find your authentic career by attending the Ladies Business Brainstorming Event coming up on 26th August, 2014. click here for further details.
You can read further blog posts here
