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Career disillusionment following diagnosis

Lainie71 said:
Well I retrained in my 40s and love the job I do now. In my last jobs I would be sat looking out the window at every opportunity, or taking so many loo breaks that it became noticeable and I was fired, so many times! Its never too late to do anything. Having a life of regrets when I am on my death bed is not an option for me, I wanted to do something that I enjoyed and something creative which is what I do.
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I wish I had the confidence / guts to do something like that years ago , I worked until I was 60 in jobs that were purely because I had to and yes I think my type 1 diabetes did hold me back but I know now that there were no reasons for it , and would say that is the only regret I have now retired .
 
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Paul_ said:
I'm not in any rush to make changes to my job/career, I don't think that would help, but many replies here have definitely given me confidence that it's something I need to build towards doing. Not sure what that will be, but something that means something, working with far fewer people using phrases like "how are we going to eat this elephant?", or "let's discuss the art of the possible", would be a great start! :)
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I thought about this thread at work today when the words "lets make a plan to eat that frog" and "lets find a window of opportunity" came out of my very own mouth. It made me smile.
 
Margarettt said:
I thought about this thread at work today when the words "lets make a plan to eat that frog" and "lets find a window of opportunity" came out of my very own mouth. It made me smile.
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I think, as with many things in life, there's a fine line between A) the use of phrases commonly used around us, and B) the overuse of phrases to the point they become irritating.

Point A is excusable, it's difficult to fight it and we can slip into using these phrases easily. Point B is an entirely different matter, where it becomes meaningless.

When it comes to eating frogs, if I was your colleague at work (and I have no doubt we'd be friends.....so I'd definitely do this! :)), I'd have deadpan asked in front of everyone in the meeting if you'd approve an all expenses paid trip to Paris to test the theory in real world circumstances, then left the awkward silence hanging while I waited for your reply. I LOVE awkward silences by the way, they bring me joy - much to my wife's dismay, I might add, whenever a gastro pub serves a meal on a piece of slate, or a wooden board, and I create an awkward moment with the waiting staff by commenting loudly "they must have run out of plates!", or "mmmm, I love the taste of the last 83 patrons' ketchup with my meal!" :hilarious:
 
A great thread started @Paul_ I’m 65 this year and there have been lots of changes made throughout my life. Not huge career choices, because I never had one. Frankly I was never driven by work, career or money. But by family and pretty domestic related tasks. Not a fashionable thing to say these days. But who cares. Changes of direction for me came via inability to have more than one child. So many deaths of young close relatives and friends. Husbands depression. And then finally Type 1 10 years ago. For me it impacted on the job I had had for many years (teaching assistant) in that I thought I’d rather be at home enjoying my garden, house and ultimately looking after grandchildren. I left way before pension age. Husband retired early, we moved house to an area we could walk and husband could bird. We live off husbands pension for the moment. So, are definitely not flush, but comfortable. Our pleasures come by spending very little, but being together and both working at maintaining our health.
I think changes in direction as we go through our lives are a natural and healthy event. Your diagnosis @Paul_ will have had an impact on your thought processes. But if it hadn’t come along, something else would pop up to cause this introspection and re-evaluation.
 
becca59 said:
A great thread started @Paul_ I’m 65 this year and there have been lots of changes made throughout my life. Not huge career choices, because I never had one. Frankly I was never driven by work, career or money. But by family and pretty domestic related tasks. Not a fashionable thing to say these days. But who cares. Changes of direction for me came via inability to have more than one child. So many deaths of young close relatives and friends. Husbands depression. And then finally Type 1 10 years ago. For me it impacted on the job I had had for many years (teaching assistant) in that I thought I’d rather be at home enjoying my garden, house and ultimately looking after grandchildren. I left way before pension age. Husband retired early, we moved house to an area we could walk and husband could bird. We live off husbands pension for the moment. So, are definitely not flush, but comfortable. Our pleasures come by spending very little, but being together and both working at maintaining our health.
I think changes in direction as we go through our lives are a natural and healthy event. Your diagnosis @Paul_ will have had an impact on your thought processes. But if it hadn’t come along, something else would pop up to cause this introspection and re-evaluation.
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@becca59 Your life sounds like the one I aspire to. I can't afford it yet and I still have grown kids at home but my husband and I are both 58 and have agreed at 60 we go to 3 or 4 days and then it's retirement as soon as we can. Walking,reading, a slower life is the dream.
 
Paul_ said:
When it comes to eating frogs, if I was your colleague at work (and I have no doubt we'd be friends.....so I'd definitely do this! :)), I'd have deadpan asked in front of everyone in the meeting if you'd approve an all expenses paid trip to Paris to test the theory in real world circumstances,
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We would be friends @Paul_ and I'll tell you why. I read this and immediately started looking for a link (I couldn't find one) to a local scheme in Glasgow where a group of children in a deprived area repopulated the frogs in some nearby woodland by nurturing frog spawn from elsewhere. That absolutely would have been my retort to your comment.
 
jaywak said:
I wish I had the confidence / guts to do something like that years ago , I worked until I was 60 in jobs that were purely because I had to and yes I think my type 1 diabetes did hold me back but I know now that there were no reasons for it , and would say that is the only regret I have now retired .
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Its wasn't easy but I was in a group with the same mentality and goals. I always encouraged my kids to find a job/career they wanted to do. To do something they would enjoy and if they found they didn't enjoy what they were doing, to find something they did. I think it worked for them. Age is not or should not be a barrier and in hairdressing there is a lot of ageism. I just forged ahead with a lot of determination and it worked out okay. I think the determination came from when I was growing up, I was told I could never do this or that, no encouragement in my life at all so now, being older if I am told I cannot, I most definitely will just out of spite. A friend I know took a degree at 55 its marvellous. Never say never, just go for it.
 
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