Time to Move On
At some point, I just knew. I’d been the CEO of a successful training firm for over a decade. I started the company and grew it from a one person, working-in-the-guest-room start-up to a thriving business with big name clients, a great reputation and an amazing staff. I’d began the business, single and pregnant with my son, to have a flexible work-at-home schedule, more control over my income and the opportunity to do work I loved. Amazingly, it worked! And then, one day, a small, still voice inside began to wonder, began to question: is this your life’s work? Is this what you really want? One day, I just knew that it was time to move on.

But, Where to?
What was challenging about this “knowing” is that I had only a vague idea of where I would go in my career next and what – exactly – I was moving to. You see, previously in my career path, each step incrementally moved me “up” in terms of title, salary and prestige. I went from being a training developer at a nonprofit to being a training manager at a large corporation. I moved from manager to director. Then, I became my own boss.

I Couldn’t Possibly
Nearly five years ago, “the voice” began urging me: It’s time to move on. On the occasions I paid attention to this voice, I’d fill my mind with all the reasons I couldn’t possibly make a change: Who would run the company?  Who would take care of the clients? How will I earn money? And, on a much deeper level: Who am I if I am not “President and CEO?” What will I do? What do I want?

Letting Go
Somewhere along the way I began to entertain those questions and have even managed to answer a few. For instance, I found the absolute best organization to acquire my operation and provide a good home to our clients, employees and associates. I say “our” because I remain a part of the company, with a vested financial interest for the next several years and a vested emotional interest, I would guess, forever. What I learned in this letting go of the company is that I could not find answers to those questions of “how” until I acknowledged them and got clear about what I really wanted for the company. So, Part A accomplished: the business transition was underway.

The Hard Stuff
Now the harder work began. What about the questions: Who am I? and What do I want? As the practical matters of the business began to fall into place, these questions became louder and more persistent. So, I did what I do when faced with the unknown – I started reading books about life transition, later-career changes, meaningful work…whatever I could get my hands on.

We’re Ready!
One day, while having brunch with a friend, I mentioned Marc Freedman’s book, Encore. I had read it twice and was amazed that there were others like me: 50-ish and ready to do something else. Ready to take the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm that we’d developed and invested in our corporate careers out into a different world: maybe nonprofit, maybe public sector, maybe private practice? Ready to rediscover some of our earlier interests and passions, that somehow didn’t get airtime in our busy lives. Ready to remember who we are in the first place.

Exploring My Own Future
It was at that brunch that my friend told me about Experience Matters. A few months later, I completed the Explore Your Future workshop and became certified to facilitate it. I am now, happily, an Explore Your Future facilitator, a transitioning business owner and an explorer of my own future.

You’re Not Alone
In going through and leading the workshop, I’ve learned how much courage it takes to acknowledge “the voice” and how much inspiration and excitement there is when we begin to understand that we are not alone. There are literally millions of 50+ men and women making these kinds of transitions, by choice or by chance. While each person’s story is different, I see commonalities:

• A desire to get back to what really matters on a personal level,
• A need to do something socially relevant and meaningful,
• The very real concern about finances and security,
• And, a lot of excitement about the endless opportunities we all have.

We’ll Get There
And, that’s what Explore Your Future is about. It’s a process for helping us see the possibilities and, on a very practical level, developing a plan for getting there. Certainly, it doesn’t provide all (or even most!) of the answers, but it helps us identify the most significant questions and sets us on a path toward answering them. As I continue to explore my future, it’s truly a privilege to be in the company of others on this journey – the journey toward the next phase in our lives.

Jim Barrera, 61, quit his job in Pennsylvania and moved with his wife to the Phoenix area to be near family. He still needs to support his family. And he thought he’d have no trouble finding a new job.

“But I went about it the wrong way. I didn’t know where to look. I’m looking at the wrong things. I’m all over the map,” Barrera says.

Lois Bartholomew retired recently from her job as a community college administrator. Her career was helping young people get started. Over the years, she realized that the typical retirement her generation thought was going to be there, isn’t anymore.

“We went to work. And we worked hard and we worked there long, and at the end hopefully you had enough resources to stop working,” she says. “I don’t think that’s how the world is going to be made from this point on.”

Jim and Lois are at a four-week workshop in Mesa, Ariz., called “Exploring Your Future.” There are seven men and women, ages 57 to 70 at this workshop — but it’s not about mutual funds, 401(k)s or reverse mortgages. This workshop is about who they want to be for the rest of their lives.

Read more and listen.

This updated version of Principal for a Day is launching in October 2011. The initial premise is to build mutually beneficial, sustainable relationships between schools and businesses across 20 schools in the Discovery Triangle, a 25-square-mile region that includes economically growing areas in Phoenix, Tempe and Papago Park. As we learn from the first participants and their experiences, we will expand the program beyond the Discovery Triangle to include more schools across the Phoenix metropolitan area and eventually across the state.

We will provide you with tools and ideas in a brief development session on Friday, October 21st from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. You will then shadow your partner principal at his or her school for four to five hours on October 26th, 27th OR 28th. These two events will launch your relationship and serve as the first steps to make a positive impact on students in our public schools.

Learn more and apply.

Presented by Discovery Triangle in partnership with the Arizona Education Foundation, Experience Matters, HandsOn Greater Phoenix and Lancio Partners, LLC.

Did you know that Maricopa County has the 4th largest population of people aged 46-64 in the country? These people are experienced, educated and seeking personal and professional growth. They also have an unprecedented amount of spare time and want to use it to support their communities. This presents a huge opportunity for your organization to find and engage their time and talents in achieving your mission.

The question is: how? The Learning Lab is a two-day training recommended for volunteer managers, human resources staff, executive directors and board members who want to learn how to do more with less by tapping into such a rich pool of talent.

Get Ready: Engage Experienced Talent in Your Organization
When: October 5th & 6th 9am-4pm, optional follow-up breakfast November 3rd
Where: Rio Salado College Conference Center
2323 W. 14th St., Tempe
Cost: $140/$40 Experience Matters members

(Click to view map of Rio Salado College)

Download the Learning Lab application or for more information, please contact Grace Carrillo at gcarrillo@experiencemattersaz.org, 602.973.2212 ext x 235.

This four-session workshop gives those 50+ a unique opportunity to consider “what’s next” in their lives. It is a hands on learning experience that focuses on helping participants create a vision for making their future satisfying and rewarding.

Each Wednesday, September 21, 28, October 5, 12, 6pm to 8pm
Mesa United Way
137 E. University Dr.
Mesa, AZ 85201

Registration:
$100 for Mesa residents; $130 for non-residents; $75 for Experience Matters members.
Register for the Mesa workshop now!

Each Wednesday, October 5, 12, 19, 26, 7pm to 9pm
Valley of the Sun Jewish Community
12701 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Registration:
$110 for Community Center members; $140 for non-members; $75 for Experience Matters members.
Contact Erin Searle, 480.483.7121 x 1205, to register for the Scottsdale workshop.

This four session workshop series gives those 50+ a unique opportunity to consider “what’s next” in their lives.

Learn More >