Is It Time to Start Planning Your Next Dream Career?

In a regular U.S. News & World Report feature called “Second Acts,” Kerry Hannon writes about Americans between the ages of 44 and 70 who have launched “encore careers.” For more than three years, she has been interviewing some of the estimated 8.4 million Americans who have moved from a corporate or other traditional job track to an entirely new career that combines income with personal meaning and social impact.

In “What Next?” Hannon offers portraits of 16 people who have chosen new paths. She also offers much information that could help you to “reinvent your own career or to pursue a long-held dream.” She says that now may be your chance “to get excited about work once again, to feel revived and passionate about making a difference in the world.”

Hannon asked me for tips for her readers who may be planning a second career. Here are some of my suggestions:

• It’s never too early to think about your next act. The more time you have to plan, the better. Start years ahead to explore ideas and possibilities. When something starts to feel right, get a bit of practice to see if this is really the direction you want to go.
• Take small steps. Don’t struggle to find an ideal starting point or perfect path. Once you have some picture of where you want to head, get things moving by taking tiny steps toward that vision. Your activity won’t be linear and you don’t need to plot out your steps in advance. What really matters is that you do a little something on a regular basis. Even if you take just one baby step a week, at the end of a year you will have made real progress toward change.
• Get your life in order. It may be a second act but it will still be your same life. Get rid of clutter, pay off your debts, or take other steps to reduce the disorder in your life. If your broader life is in great shape, your second act will come more easily.
• Get fit. And speaking of being in great shape, becoming as healthy as possible is an important part of preparing for your new phase. When you are physically fit, you have more energy and are mentally sharper to face the challenges ahead.
• Start a journal. Journaling is a great way to map your new career direction. For example, make lists: the best times in your life, the things you really like to do, or moments when you have excelled in your current job. Or write out questions about what you want next, and then write yourself answers.
• Get a business card. Want to be an artist, even though you’re still working as a lawyer? Get an artist’s card. As soon as you have a business card your new career will feel real. You can get a second-act card long before you finish your first act, and having a card may speed your transformation.