What do you want? Easy question but hard to articulate: What do you want for your appraisal department, firm, or career? How about retirement? “Playing golf” often shows up as the default answer. Easy, familiar and safe but rarely reflects what truly energizes you.
Passion probably wasn’t what got you here. Competence did. Consistency did. Showing up did. And somewhere along the way, you got really good. You’re a master.
Passion is a byproduct of mastery which is enduring enthusiasm. Mastery is a deeply satisfying thing that leads to passion.
There will be doubts, yelling at you. Limiting beliefs, subconscious thoughts “I’m too old”, “I might fail” or “what if I don’t know what’s next?” Even asking the question feels uncomfortable.
Empty your mind and write down all the limiting beliefs. It will feel silly, do it anyway. It does the most damage when you leave it in your subconscious. But once you brain dump it, you’re free to think. You start to realize that your inaction is really fear.
Now let’s get to the hard work. What lights you up?
The question isn’t binary that you have to wait until retirement to find this elusive unidentified passion. You can tap into that energy exactly where you are today in your appraisal department or firm.
If you’re retired, great. However the word has “tired” in it so don’t buy into society’s low energy expectations. You’re not too old, many of us are underchallenged.
Sometimes we can talk ourselves out of opportunities before ever taking the first step. Whatever your mind says, your body follows.
I’d be happy to jump on a Zoom call if you want to discuss various opportunities. I think often times it’s a collaboration discussion to discover a passion from your mastery and identify what enthusiasm is still enduring.
The ideas could be simple or something bigger. I think the goal is that it should feel like a stretch. That’s where the energy is. Create space. Run small experiments. Say “yes” to what feels alive.
You’ve spent decades building judgment. Now it’s time to use it on your own life.
What do you want?
Answer it.