My name is Alison, and I’m a
statistic—another fifty-something in
search of a new path.
I spent more than thirty
years working in the life insurance industry, and for most of that time I actively
enjoyed my job. However, during the last couple of years burnout started to
creep in. I began dreaming about retiring early as soon as my husband was
eligible for Medicare and Social Security, but that was still several years
away. Or so I thought.
I was lucky in one important
way—I was able to leave on my own terms. Unlike so many, I didn’t lose my job
to the recession. My firm underwent a reorganization that included
dismantling my position, removing the aspects I’d found rewarding, and leaving only tasks that sucked every ounce of pleasure out of
coming to work.
After a few weeks I knew I would never be able to stick to my
original retirement plan, but at least I was still employed. I decided to try
to continue working while allowing myself six months to come to grips with the
new reality and make plans for the future. Gradually, I
began to see the exciting possibilities in a
self-directed future.
From the outset I wanted
writing to be a big part of my new life. I began writing fiction twenty years
ago and have published two novels and a novella in the past three years. But my
creative well isn’t deep enough to write fiction all day, every day. It needs
time to refill, and I need more variety. So I've decided to try my hand at designing a more personalized new career.
No comments:
Post a Comment