Are you heading for a midlife crisis career change? See the ‘Am I having a midlife crisis quiz’ and find out how bad your crisis is! Having had a number of career changes and with the growing feeling that life was catching up with me I decided to start my own internet business a couple of years ago.
Hitting 40 can bring a big psychological change. I thought I was immune to the fear which comes with a growing sense of mortality. When my parents were 40 they were old – I mean really old! But I never thought of myself being old. I was definitely slowing down and my career path was pretty reckless so I decided I needed a change – but equally I didn’t want a ‘job’ type job!
An Internet Business
An internet business seems like the ideal scenario. Sitting in your pyjamas on the laptop drinking endless cups of coffee! It wasn’t until I had been attempting a internet business for some time that I decided I needed to take it more seriously. I was just playing until then. I joined this company who helped me to take my internet business seriously. For me the perfect scenario for a midlife crisis career change was something new which held my attention.
Reasons To Start
An Online business ticked all the boxes for me. You could be your own boss, work around another job or career and build it up over time. You can work from your laptop from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. This was great for me and I could take my laptop on jobs and work in hotels while I was away doing contract work. I liked the idea of a portable income source which could be worked on from anywhere. It was flexible and there was no pressure.
Problems I Found
My attitude towards an online business became apparent later on when I found some of my earlier tactics simply didn’t make any money. I expected too much for too little. Perhaps I was lazy. I had several jobs in between attempting various online businesses but I had a negative motivation. It wasn’t until I read a book called The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson that I noticed my tendency. I had an ‘away from’ motivation away from debt rather than a ‘towards’ motivation towards success. I was motivated away from poverty, lack, limitation and debt. When things got really bad I would pull out all the stops, give up all my bad habits and focus entirely on making a success of myself. When things started easing up, I slacked off and put my feet up. This happened time and again without me really noticing it. Until I read Jeff Olson’s book.
This was a real turnkey moment. I realized I wasn’t really motivated by money – only in so much as it would keep the wolves from the door! After that I was unmotivated! I also needed something to motivate me and keep me learning – something I was passionate about.
Finding My Motivation
Realizing that I was motivated by choice and freedom I pursued the online business in addition to maintaining my other streams of income through other employment. (I had a small martial arts business and occasional contract work for the film industry). I didn’t want to be limited anymore and I was tired of my lifestyle being held back by lack of money.
Join An Online Community
It took a long time for me to find something which worked for me online. Joining a community was of great benefit as I no longer had to be completely self reliant! There were people to speak to and ask for help which I really needed although I didn’t realize at the time that I was struggling. For a midlife crisis career change I can highly recommend it!
Join this online community which offers support, training and the tools and systems needed to succeed with an online business. Meet internet marketing mentors Stuart and Jay and learn more about this community here.Â
Find Your Midlife Crisis Career Change
Following your passion or an interest is definitely better than simply doing something for money, particularly if you intend to maintain it for the long term. Finding an online business has given me something to focus on and build and also something which I am continually improving. I must learn and develop myself continually in order to grow both personally and financially with my online business. Good luck in finding your midlife crisis career change!