I was going super hard on a cardio set at F45 as per usual… when I had a sudden thought that I am not at the end of my story. This is not how my career story ends. If I plotted my story arc of my early career struggles with work-life balance and identity, my transition out of the full-time work force to focus on motherhood, my part-time roles to keep my foot in the door while working on my boundaries, and my efforts to build my health, strength, and family… I would now arrive at the climax of the story where I would take what I have learned and head back into the fire of the workforce. My kids are older, I am wiser, and I am missing *something*. I have felt it for awhile. I keep calling it the “intellectual” or the “creativity” piece, or “brain-forward pursuits.” Are these all just code for… going back into the workforce? I know that slowly letting my consulting gig quietly fade into obscurity and retiring is not how I want my story to end. The truth is, I write this story, and this chapter is over. So where do I want to go next?
“The rest is still unwritten” 🤓
Natasha Bedingfield
Major cheese alert! 😬
What would be exciting to be would be… I get a job back in MedTech, something that impacts human health, that I can find deep satisfaction in. I work my way back in and maybe back up, and I also manage to be the parent I want to be for my kids.
The through-line is so evident when you look back in hindsight. I am not even at the end of it, and I see it even from my spot in the messy middle. Do I know for sure that I will be able to get a job? Do I even know that I will like the job that I get? No, I don’t have certainty on either of those things. Do I know what will happen with the kids’ schedules and extracurriculars? Also no. But… I know it will work out. I know that the kids are capable and resilient, and they will be okay. I know that me being out in the world, doing my thing, is going to be good for them to see. I know that I need to live a purpose-driven life. Maybe this is the beginning of my “second mountain” as outlined by David Brooks. Who knows, maybe I have three mountains. Either way, the work begins now.