Career

Turn Your Golden Handcuffs Into a Platinum Life

“I’d love to move onto something different in my life, but I have it too good now to do so.”

Wait a minute!!!

Do you want to do something else with your life and career?

But it’s so good, you want to make a change?

If you have it good, why do you want to change it?

If you want to change, how could it be so good?

WTF?

Oh. I get it!

You’re shackled with the Golden Handcuffs.

“Exactly”, my associate said. “I am making a great living with great benefits. Yet, I would love to pivot to something else in life.”

It makes sense while not making any sense

This conversation by the coffee maker occurred during a recent video shoot I was directing at a research center.

I had shared with this thirtysomething my transition from marketing content creator to my side hustle turned full time-effort, New Way Forward.

His response was one of envy.

But he won’t do it right now. He has too good of a job, salary, and benefits even to consider it.

That makes sense.

Yet, in this day and age, it doesn’t make total sense.

As is so often the case, we have more options than we realize.

Perhaps instead he should be saying, “I am going to move onto something different in my life and use my current good situation to do so.”

Pawn the Golden Handcuffs and go Platinum

If you truly want to change yourself, your life, and certainly your job and career, there are ways.

Smart ways.

Years ago, when I was in the same position as my younger colleague, I used my stable income position to begin considering my next move.

I had the time and the security of my Golden Handcuffs to self-reflect, research, and dream.

Voila! I came up with the essential idea and direction that has become New Way Forward which is my new way forward.

Read Go Back to Your Future — You can change your future if you’re willing to go PRO in life

A critical approach for older workers

If you’re “older” (whatever that means — 40, 50, 60+) this approach is an absolute must.

Three HUGE reasons:

1. Odds are you are going to face ageism and may be forced to change jobs or even careers and you won’t be ready for it.

2. You may be thinking about traditional retirement. Odds are it will not offer you enough meaning and relevance in life. That is if you can even afford decades of active life beyond retirement.

3. Being older you now know enough about yourself, your needs, desires, and the ways of the world to discover a new way forward that is ideal for you IF you put in the effort to take advantage of it.

This can either be the opportunity of a lifetime (by doing so) or the mistake of a lifetime (by not doing so).

Read I’m 30 Years Old With 60 Years of Experience (This self-belief will help you never be old)

Leveraging your comfortable situation

In a call this week with a thirtysomething whom I admire and respect, I gave him the same advice.

He has it good now. But his superior self-awareness tells him there’s something better, and eventually, he will need to move forward to it.

So, like me, he will use this time to think and evaluate what he needs and wants in terms of income, job situation, lifestyle, and fulfillment.

Once he determines his new goals, criteria, and intentions, he will then have the time and wherewithal to attain what he’s looking for.

There won’t be a gun to his head to do it.

He is leveraging his situation.

He can say that “I am moving onto something different in my life, and I am using my current situation to do so.”

I have high expectations for him.