We all have one of these b*tchy voices - the “inner critic”. This is our inner voice that expresses criticism, frustration or disapproval about our actions. It might sound like, “you should,” “why didn’t you?” “what’s wrong with you?,” or “why can’t you get it together?” The actual self-talk is different for each of us, as is its frequency or intensity. After this photoshoot my inner critic took me for a joy ride out of the blue! I was blind sided as I had never felt this way about myself before. Well - I have kicked that pesky inner critic to the curb where it belongs while I dive into the why’s and how’s to manage this voice. We all have it & it isn’t real! This is a personal moment of inner critic weakness - enjoy!

What is a Career Vision?

A vision for your career is about understanding and creating your definition of what defines success at a specific point in the future. This could be in a year or 5 years or 10 or retirement - it’s about figuring out how you want your professional life to look like, choosing a date and envisioning a future scenario of what you want to be doing at that time.

I believe we have the narrative ass-backwards when it comes to our career and job search. Traditionally we spruce up our resume, optimize our LinkedIn profile and then start firing off our resumes. Reconsider spending time on your mindset first.

I like to think of midlife as the rebirth of you - after the storm comes the revolution...of you…if you have the right mindset.

Of course I use the term revolution in the broadest sense - like a revival, a change, a turnaround, a time to reassess, rethink, a time of freaking freshness...if you let it of course. Midlife is all of this as well as motivation to live with energy, meaning and purpose - with a growth mindset.

Read on to spark your inner rebel to start tipping the scales on how you think of yourself in midlife, especially when it comes to your career search.

What is an ATS friendly resume?

An ATS-friendly resume means the resume is formatted to be easily read by an applicant tracking system software. These systems are used during the hiring process to scan and filter through a large number of resumes quickly.

Using Ikigai in your self discovery during midlife can bring on a massive eureka moment! A loose translation of Ikigai is 'reason for being'. 'Iki' which refers to life and 'kai' which can be translated into 'a realization of what one expects and hopes for'. Try making your own Ikigai diagram for a balanced and fulfilled life.

Holding on to your past hurts is a conscious decision just like taking the bold step of letting go of that shit to move forward. Both are conscious decisions and you are in control of both choices.

All that work. All those visualizations. All that time you spent thinking about the future you want for yourself in 2020 - poof! Covid swept in & put on the brakes... But not so fast. Now is actually a really great time to sit down and review your vision board!

We are weeks into the pandemic & cracks are beginning to show in our culture now. Systemic inequality has been exposed as the realities set in. Government relief packages are a good first step & more is definitely needed.

It is easy to stay focused on the calamity of Covid19 - it is serious & our world has changed because of it. We need to be vigilant & keep our distance but focusing on the negative is counterproductive. Here are a few ideas to bring some positive energy back into focus.