Reading Barbara Bradley Hagerty’s article Quit Your Job in The Atlantic (via LinkedIn), I reflected on choosing a challenge that fits who we are.
By midlife, we have plenty of evidence about ourselves: what we do well, what drains us, and what keeps us curious. At 49, I’m putting that knowledge to good use.
I want a better quality of life, but I also want to keep learning things that are engaging and hold my attention. I’ve always been a lifelong learner (for things that interest me) and a keen pivoter (in my career path).
That’s part of what draws me to studying psychology, along with topics like AI and building my company Huskvarnas Kattvakt®. Both give me room to explore longstanding interests while bringing years of experience into something new.
Changing direction takes planning, and there are no guarantees. But the author’s observation about regret stayed with me: among those she interviewed, the people who regretted the most were those who never tried.
I want to give these interests a fair chance and see where the work takes me.
Below is an excerpt from the article:
“Doing something novel and complex is going to take some time, it’s going to be painful, you’re going to cry.”
This isn’t foreign to me; jokes aside about the crying, I do feel frustration, confusion, and exasperation when I hit a ‘roadblock’ while learning something new. But most of the time, I feel the thrill and excitement of now knowing something I didn’t before. 😄
And here’s another one:
“It has to be engaging. If something is really simple to learn, it’s not enough to save those cells from death.”
PS: Autopiloting won’t help our brain! 🤓
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do share! 🖤