So, after 36 years in the same sector, working my way up the administrative career ladder with great colleagues and a good salary, I decided enough was enough.
It wasn't an aha moment, it was a gradual realisation that I didn't want to do this anymore. But that was all I knew,
The pandemic made me, like so many others, reflect on my life. My mum died of Covid at the start of 2021 and my dad's dementia deteriorated to such a degree that my sister and I had to find a care home that could meet his needs.
My work was challenging, sometimes stressful and seemingly never ending. It was cyclical in nature, a university academic year. During 2021 I realised that I wanted and needed to do something different, but that meant leaving the safety and security of what I knew. I'd thought about it before but had never been brave enough to pursue something else. I also realised that time ticks by pretty quickly and it seems that's even quicker as I get older!
From about the age of 50 I found myself saying ‘I've lived more years than I've got left' but that remained just a saying. As 60 got nearer that changed to ‘If not now, then when?' I had joined some Facebook groups and read up about making changes in midlife and by chance I attended a Zoom event where a coach was talking about her work. I realised that coaching might help me gain some clarity on next steps for me and so my coaching journey began. That led to soul searching, reflecting on what I really wanted from life and a whole lot of work on self- esteem. It was also the catalyst for the decision that I would change my career.
Shortly after starting my own coaching, I realised what a powerful tool coaching can be if you truly want to make positive changes, reach a goal you never really believed you could or even to help with the realisation that you are a great person who deserves to live their best life. It's not always an easy ride and there can be soul searching but it helped me so much I decided that was the career change I wanted. One year and lots of studying, practice and assessment later I qualified as a coach myself.
From being administrator to believing I could do something different and then becoming a coach- a,b,c- was a significant but very positive transformation. I'm determined to make midlife and beyond, years that count and my career goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of at least 1000 people through my coaching. Ambitious? Yes. Achievable? I'll give it my very best shot, so let's make that a yes!