|
WEST NEWBURY, Mass., Apr 6, 2004 /PRNewswire via
COMTEX/ -- "Oh, he's just going through a midlife crisis!"
How
often have you heard that phrase? Although we joke about midlife
crises, midlife is very real. But it's no longer viewed as the
beginning of a rapid slide into old age. "Boomers don't feel old!"
says Sydney Rice, author of Choice Points: Navigate Your Career
Using the Unique PaperRoom(TM) Process (www.bostoncoachingco.com)
"They're the healthiest, longest-lived,
best-educated, most affluent generation in history. And they're
trailblazing the 25 years between 50 and 75 as a new phase of life."
A recent AARP survey found that 79% of Boomers
view this time of life as "a time to be active and involved, start
new activities, and set new goals." "However," Rice says, "despite
plenty of choices about how to spend those years, we often get stuck
trying to sort out those choices."
Life before 50 is focused on career and raising
a family. As we near 50, we begin to feel that "the way it's always
been" is confining. We want something more, something different, so
we begin to think about the quality and direction of our lives.
But change is difficult. We're programmed to
repeat how we do or think about things based on past experiences.
"To get unstuck," suggests Rice, "you need to look at your
perceptions, beliefs, habits, expectations, and assumptions to
understand what's stopping you."
To start, Rice offers the following exercise:
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper labeled "Things I've
Wanted to Change." On the left side, list everything you've ever
wanted to change but never addressed: things you want less - or more
- of, skills or experiences you'd like to have, people you want out
of your life, things you'd like to own, or places you'd like to go,
and so on. Next to each, list what stopped you. The list will give
you a clearer understanding of the defenses, roadblocks and
assumptions that may be impeding change in your life or work. Then
you can move forward.
"When we reach 50," Rice says, "everything we've
ever done has prepared us for what's next. We're free to open up
buried interests, hidden potential, and undiscovered talents -- to
refocus by doing what we want to do, not what is expected of us. The
old labels that tell the world what we are, are no longer viable.
It's now all about who we are."
SOURCE Boston Coaching Company, Inc. Joyce McClure, +1-818-761-9314, joycemcc@earthlink.net
http://www.bostoncoachingco.com
Copyright (C) 2004 PR Newswire. All rights
reserved. | 
