“I’m finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other more days than not.” Sharon told me as she described her ‘hamster wheel’ existence…going to a job that used to inspire her, that she used to have excitement for, but was now dragging her down, putting her in a depression that was getting harder and harder to come out of.  And she went on to say “I remember when my mom used to tell me that this was all there was to life – you go through the daily grind, pay your dues and finally if you have saved enough and done everything ‘right’, you can retire and live a comfortable, hopefully not subsistence, life until you die. But I don’t believe that is true! I know there is more to this life than that. I just can’t figure out how to get there from here.” 

And that is the million-dollar question for many women who have been doing all of those ‘right’ things for years and years…how do I get there from here? What happened to my American dream? What happened to the financial security that I thought I would have when I reached my 40s, 50s and 60s? And what am I going to do about it now? In fact, what can I do about it now? Is it too late for me? How do I get myself out of the career burnout that I’m in and actually learn to enjoy my life and my job again? So that I’m living my life with passion and excitement, looking forward to what each day will bring. 

Career burnout among professional women especially between the ages of 45 and 65 is an epidemic that has largely been ignored. It’s time to start the conversation and address it with the seriousness and attention it deserves. NO ONE should be looking at their lives and wondering if this is all there is. NO ONE should be finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other for an extended period of time. NO ONE should be accepting depression as the norm. NO ONE should be hanging on to a job they hate just because that is what you do here in this country to survive. 

So what can you personally do about it to begin to make the changes necessary to get yourself back into a life filled with passion and excitement and fulfillment? Here are 5 tricks that will get you jump-started to a new and exciting life that you deserve:  

1. The Right Mindset: You have to start with the right mindset or you won’t get anywhere. And the good news is that the right mindset is a simple one – it’s not complicated at all, but therein lies the rub…it’s so simple that we ignore and brush right past it without taking it seriously or giving it a second glance. Because it is so simple, we think that it should be easy and that is where the real problem lies. The answer is simple but it isn’t always easy to do. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this to my clients but “if it were easy, we all would have done it by now.”  So all you need to do to get started is change your mindset from “this should be a piece of cake” to “I’m ready to accept the challenge and I’m ready to reap the rewards of achieving my goals and dreams no matter how difficult I choose to make this!” Like the little engine that could said “I think I can! I think I can!” Set your mindset to “I know I can! I know I can!” 
2. Acknowledge Your Current Situation: In order to make changes, any change, you have to first acknowledge your current situation for what it really is. This is not the time to say “I’m okay with being unhappy, or even settling for, it’s not that bad really. My job sucks but I can deal with it for another year or two or three. That kind of mindset will keep you stuck, miserable and on the hamster wheel for the rest of your life. It’s time to accept that you are stuck and that it’s not okay to stay there anymore! Now it the time to move forward and be the you that you know you can be!!! No more satisficing. No more justifying. No more delaying. Acknowledge where you are so that you can decide to move on from there. 
3. Start Small – You don’t have to do it all today. In fact, the hardest part for most people is figuring out how to break the big goals down into tiny baby steps so that it is more manageable and possible. Giant goals will get you nowhere if you don’t take the first small step towards it. So identify 6 small steps that you need to do this month to move you towards the big goal. And take one. Just one. And

   check it off of your list. Then take another. But be careful not to make these baby steps too big in and of themselves. I often hear women who have decided to become an entrepreneur say that the first thing they are going to do it get their website up and going…And that is why they haven’t done a thing. Getting a website up and going for most people will never happen if that is the first thing they try to do. There are so many other things that need to be done and can be done before you even need a complete website done. If you don’t know what those are, then move on to step 4 first before you even try step 3…

4. Helpful Hardware Man – I love the little jingle from ACE Hardware store that goes “ACE is the place with the helpful hardware man” because it says it all right there. When you need help with something around the house all you need to do is go to ACE and you will find the help you need in the staff at the store. So how does this apply to you? You need your support team, your team of experts that can help you move through this new and exciting stage of your life. And it’s not the time to be “cheap” and try to do it all on your own or rely on friends and family members to help you. What is the saying “You get what you pay for…”? You will not make any steps forward if you aren’t willing to invest in yourself and the next chapter in your life. Find the coach or consultant that works for you and let them help you. Be humble. Admit that you need help. If you didn’t need the help you wouldn’t be where you are right now. I know for myself that I wouldn’t be where I am right now in my life, living my dream, if I hadn’t been willing to finally get the help from some amazing coaches and consultants. And I had to invest in them to make it work. 
5. Determination Does the Trick – As Tommy Lasorda said “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a (wo)man’s determination.” It’s that simple! Don’t quit. Don’t stop trying. Don’t satisfice. Show the world that you can tap into the determination, perseverance, commitment and courage that you have within you and keep on keepin’ on! 

You’ve got this! You can make your life the life that you deserve. You can be free to do what you want to do. It’s simple and it’s possible. Make it your life! You know you can!