Anyone else done the high flying, blue chip job thing with kids and then lost the plot?

[mulranno]

Really struggling with my "career" at the moment - have done all of the juggling and struggling that a high flying job demands whilst bringing up 4 children. But have really lost all motivation and drive I do my job very well but this isnt enough for this type of employer...they want to see "potential" "personal development plans" "ambition" to move further up the corporate ladder...has anyone used a life coach or career review service = maybe online? as my head is scrambled with decisions about what to do - how to be fulfilled - or is this just what happens when you are 45 and your career plateaus

anyone else jumped off the treadmill -- or can direct me to any good careers life coach type service

Didn't want to leave this unaswered but also someone told me about a great chap today, Jack Black who runs www.mindstore.com apparently he turned this chap I know around and therefore he was raving about him.

thanks will look into that...just wahat I need

I'm in the process of losing the plot. trying to cling on for the moment as the alternative is scarier

I can highly recommend Benjamin Fry - benjaminfry.co.uk/ I went to see him, but I think there is a book and some sort of online facility, although not looked into either. He won't give you careers advice as such, but he will help you understand what is making you unhappy/would make you happy and to identify what is holding you back.

I was a lawyer in the City and HATED it. I tried stepping down to a regional firm, still hated it. Then I changed practice area and moved to a niche small firm. Still hated it. So just before Christmas I quit to work on my own business and am much much happier. It's taken a long time to get here, but finally I feel as though I am doing something I enjoy and that I'm excited about. Does that count as 'jumping off the treadmill'???

Agree with emsyj's approach. Move away from the things that are making you unhappy as you are on the wrong path. Have a friend who is in to all things spiritual who has coached me in this approach and it works. It takes nerve though because some of the things I have done have defied logic to onlookers!

A corporate company full of high achieving go getters is my nightmare. Have been there and hated it. Could be that you just need to relax about work and focus on other things. There is a whole world out there which doesn't involve spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations...

Not been in same situation in you buut been to these events to define what you want from life/career. i think from what you have said - you are bored with your job.

iI find this helps:
I write down in a notebook....so you could do something like this:
where do I see myself in 5 years time / 10 years time? career wise /personal life and imagine it in detail then work at how you will achieve it say year by year what you need to have done.

Also write down your current state career wise/personal.
go through in your mind what you do on a typical day. do you feel happy or sad about this day. what do you like about it, what don't you like about it?
what do i like about your job?
what do i hate about job?

see whether the 2 link up. For example, say in 10 years time you want to run your own chain of law firms and you're currently a stockbroker then you're not going to achieve your goal by staying as stockbroker. I know this is a very basic example but hope you get the idea.

also, have you got a close friend you can confide in too sometimes speaking to someone you know and trust helps.

HTH

Wondered whether to post as I am always coming close to outing myself. But yes, I hit a mid life career crisis too - had choice of taking final hurdle to v v top of ladder and suddenly thought 'fuck it - I don't think I want to do this any more'. Was in my mid 40's and had got past the tough childraising bit of the early years. I was lucky enough to have a very good mentor who sat me down and suggested I think about X, Y and Z instead. I didn't actually do any of that but ended up setting up my own business. Absolutely love it, now, although I went through a whole year of angst trying to work out if I was doing the right thing.

Like everyone else I know who's leapt off the corporate ladder, we are still working our backsides off, but nearly all of us love it. I know a couple who ended up a bit 'lost' but they just went back into their old careers again. Financially there are winners and losers, but emotianally far more happiness for nearly all of us. I've been lucky.

sometimes you need a close freind to point out the obvious things thta are making you unhappy.
sometimes you need a professional, to make you assess the core problems, in a way that you had not recognised.
And sometimes it really does help to write down, what you honestly truely want. work out how to get there. and also write down the worse case scenario. If you gave up this job, would it REALLY be the end? of life? Often you realise no.
Dh is such a good Operations Manager, that he fixes problems, hence making himself redundant. It feels so bad at the time, but when you look back, a year later, it wasn't that bad. and often things 'turn up' and 'work out'.