Archive for month: October, 2021

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3 Reasons why your Career Transition is Stalling (And How to Get Back on Tracks)

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Congratulations — you’ve decided to take charge of your future.

You have the experience, the skills, and the desire to move toward a new professional chapter. So why does everything suddenly feel harder than expected? Why are you feeling stuck, discouraged, or drained? What happened to the motivation that once felt unstoppable?

Career transitions rarely unfold in a straight line. In this article, I explore three common reasons why a career change can stall — and how to regain momentum.

1. Do you lack flexibility?

We rarely give enough credit to the power of having a plan — and sticking to it. I am a big believer in planning. That said, real life has a tendency to interfere.

Especially during a career transition, unexpected events are inevitable. Resistance shows up. Doors close. Opportunities shift. The key question becomes:
Is this a temporary hurdle — or a signal to reassess direction?

Life doesn’t pause while we redesign our careers.

Perhaps your partner receives an unexpected job offer abroad.
A promising lead falls through.
A baby arrives.
Health issues demand attention.
Or an unforeseen opportunity suddenly appears.

Whatever the situation, the challenge is to adapt without losing sight of your deeper intention.

When you are clear on your values — what truly matters to you — flexibility becomes easier. Your vision acts as a compass. You may adjust the route, but you don’t lose direction.

When you stay anchored in your why, you become less attached to the how. And this is often where new, unexpected opportunities emerge.

2. Are you feeling lonely?

Career transitions can be surprisingly lonely — even when your life is full.

You may have a supportive partner, family, and friends. You’ve shared your plans and received encouragement. Yet day after day, you find yourself alone with your laptop, navigating uncertainty and self-doubt.

Motivation has a limited lifespan. Discipline eventually gives way to anxiety.

This is normal — and it’s also a sign that you shouldn’t do this alone.

What helps enormously is connecting with people who understand what you are trying to build. Peer groups, professional communities, alumni networks, entrepreneur circles, training cohorts, mastermind groups — both online and in person — can radically shift your energy.

When you find your tribe:

  • You gain perspective and feedback

  • You exchange expertise and feel useful again

  • Your confidence grows through connection

  • Your network expands organically

  • You return to your project with renewed clarity

Career transitions thrive in community. Isolation weakens momentum.

3. Are you stuck in a mental pit?

You started out like a champion, tackling the first steps of your transition like the kick-ass professional you are. Then things started to slow down, hurdles began to accumulate, and your energy started lacking. Self-doubt and guilt are center-stage, draining your emotions and clouding your skies. Positive thinking doesn’t help when the fear of failure is running the show.

The first truth to keep in mind: A career transition always takes more time than expected. Resistance is what you meet most, starting with your own human inclination to cling to the status quo. A change of perspective is needed.

The prescription? Radical honesty and self-compassion. Radical honesty means taking a 360° look at your current reality — without judgment. Revisiting earlier decisions. Checking whether your goals still reflect who you are today. Acknowledging how far you’ve already come.

Self-compassion means recognizing that at this stage of life, you no longer need to prove that you can overachieve. You already did.

Now the invitation is to become a better achiever — one who values emotional and physical health as much as professional success.

Sometimes progress doesn’t mean choosing between “all or nothing.” It means creating transitional phases, parallel paths, or temporary arrangements that restore energy and open space for clarity.

A Final Thought

Career transitions are not linear. They are deeply human processes — shaped by values, identity, fear, desire, and timing. If your transition feels slow or confusing, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It may simply mean you’re in the middle of redefining your second act.

Reinventing Your Career After 50: What Most People Get Wrong

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Have you been repeatedly inspired by the stories of friends, colleagues, or people you follow online who changed careers in their fifties and started something entirely different? Have you wondered, even for a moment, how exciting it would be to follow their example?

Then this article is for you.

In all honesty, nobody ever said it was easy. It never is. But the most difficult step may well be the very first one: overcoming your preconceived ideas about what it takes to follow your inner North Star and begin a meaningful second act of life.

Over the years, I have noticed that the same beliefs come back again and again when professionals start considering a career transition later in life. Here are four of the most common misconceptions I hear before the real work begins.

1. I am too old

Misconceptions about age are particularly powerful because ageing itself remains a taboo. Things become even more uncomfortable the day you realise you are now officially part of the “senior” or “older” workforce. At that point, the only visible horizon seems to be retirement.

If that is not what you want — if the idea of stepping out at a given date makes your stomach tighten — you may find yourself asking: “How old will I be when I finally succeed in a new career?”

The short answer is simple: the same age you will be if you stay exactly where you are.

We age anyway. That is a fact of life.

The better answer is this: you have choices. You always do. A new professional chapter may come with a different lifestyle, one where work and personal life are combined in a way that feels more humane and more aligned with who you are today. Research confirms this shift. According to Aegon’s studies on retirement, many experienced professionals no longer want the traditional “cliff-edge” retirement, but rather a gradual transition toward a rhythm that better suits their evolving needs.

2. I will need a lot of training

This belief is also widespread — and often exaggerated.

Once you are truly clear about what you want to do, the rest becomes execution. If additional skills are required, you will acquire them. Motivation plays a far greater role than age ever could.

One of my clients transitioned from being a CEO in the media industry to becoming a professional skipper, sailing clients across the Mediterranean on a luxury boat. While he had been an experienced sailor for years, he needed a formal certification. He committed fully, trained for six months, and graduated with honours.

The desire to learn does not fade with time. On the contrary, as the Brave Starts survey highlights, the drive to learn remains strong — enriched by the perspective, discernment, and self-awareness that come with experience.

3. I will lose my status

Yes, you probably will. And that can feel unsettling.

But the more important question is not what you lose — it is what you gain instead.

When was the last time you revisited your definition of success? What truly matters to you now? What do you want people to see in you? What impact do you want to have?

Perhaps you want to use your experience in a more meaningful way. Perhaps an entrepreneurial idea has been quietly waiting for permission to exist. There are no right or wrong answers here — only an invitation to realign your actions with your values.

Business cards and titles lose their power quickly when they no longer reflect who you are becoming. As you step into your second act, a new form of status naturally emerges — one rooted less in hierarchy and more in coherence, contribution, and freedom.

4. I will be financially vulnerable

If financial concerns are part of your reflection, you are asking the right questions.

Money matters. A career transition must be approached with clarity, not wishful thinking. You need a full-picture view in order to make an informed decision — one that considers both your needs and those of your family.

This exploration is essential because many of us unconsciously cling to financial standards that no longer match what we truly want. You may discover that you are ready to simplify, downsize, relocate, or redesign your lifestyle. Doing work that feels meaningful often comes with rewards that go far beyond salary, sometimes making it easier to let go of things that once mattered more.

Different phases of life bring different priorities. Reviewing your assets, income expectations, and pension planning helps you understand what you already have — and what you actually need — to support the life you want to live.

 

¹ Unlocking the Value of an ageing working force, 2021

Alexandra Humbel
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