You thought you knew what you wanted to be when you grow up. (Even at 40, you’ve still got some growing up left to do.) But clearly it’s not working. You’re not motivated. You’d rather lie in bed reading Philippa Gregory novels than tackle that to-do list. You sit at your computer and come up with every excuse in the book to avoid working on it. Maybe your boss gives you that dream assignment, but all you can think is, “Ugh.” Yeah, I speak from personal experience.
Then you wake up one morning and it occurs to you, “Shit! I’ve been chasing the wrong dream!” Or maybe the epiphany doesn’t come to you that suddenly. Maybe gradually, over time you come to the realization that you’re heart just isn’t in it.
What then? The self-doubt sets in…
“But it doesn’t make sense to give up now, I’ve already put so much into it.” — “People are going to think I’m just afraid, or that I tried and failed. Or that I’m just wishy washy and can’t make up my mind.” — “If I wasn’t able to make that work, what makes me think I’ll be able to make this dream work? ” — “What if this dream is just another misguided adventure, and I find out in a year that it was a mistake, too?” — “What if it’s not a lack of motivation and commitment? What if I’ve just gotten lazy in my old age?” — “I can’t go through this again. I need to land on something that’s going to support my family!”
I know I’m not alone in this. Have you been through this? Do you ask yourself these questions? I want to hear from you. A little solace in shared experiences.