Get A New Career At 40, Are You Nuts? (Hint: I’m Not)

I’m not quite 40, I’m mid-30s, and I’m highly interested in the years to come. I really don’t have an idea of what’s actually going to happen and I don’t think anyone can have a great understanding. But I do know that everyone can plan ahead so they don’t get caught blind-sighted. I know that every little effort I put into planning ahead now, will ultimately help me and my family reap the rewards in the years to come.

I like the message of this image, but it’s just so ridiculous. He’s not wearing a helmet!

I truly believe people really can make plans to take the steps they need to take (now!) to get to the future that they want most. It’s all about increasing your chances of success by building a foundation that supports that success. Here are a couple of ideas to help build your foundation for whatever new career awaits you at 40 and beyond.

Keep All of Your Bridges Clean

No matter where you’re at and no matter how many angry employee YouTube videos you’ve seen, whatever you do you must make every effort to keep your bridges clean. Don’t burn them, don’t hurt them, and don’t purposefully try to make anyone’s life more miserable than it needs to be. I know you’re not that type of person if you’re reading this article, but it has to be said.

This is all about you being internally motivated for what’s ahead of you, for yourself, your family, and for the rest of the world. There is nothing of a spiteful nature that you can do that would make the hateful-effort worth it in the long run. So why even bother wasting your mental energy on doing stupid things? Don’t burn your bridges, you might need to cross them again, and it’s just not worth it.

Always Keep Working Your Skills

I’ve seen a lot of people that are around this age and older that have become complacent. They’re happy where they are at. Sure, they want a promotion and a raise, and take on projects that help support that growth path. However, they don’t normally do as much at home-time, or in their free-time, or in their hobby-time to support that career growth.

I think once we get to that level of development in our life and career, we begin to believe that we can keep doing what’s worked for us in the past to get to the next level. But I want you to think of the next level as an exponential growth type of thing. Know that in order to get exponential growth, you need to have geometric input. That means stuff building on top of stuff, not just the same old, same old. Don’t keep doing the same thing, do more, be more, and seek more.

Keep Your Reasons In Mind

Really know why it is you want to go to the next level. Have a great understanding of your prime internal motivators and how they fit into your life in every step that you take. When you know your car needs 93-octane fuel, then you’ll never put 87-octane gas in there ever again. When you align everything you do with what makes you work best, you set yourself up for better fulfillment of success.

If you know you need to go to a certain city in another state, it’s a good idea to print out the directions ahead of time and follow them. Sure, you may be detoured along the way, but if you’ve got that end goal in mind and you’re motivated to get there, some little detour is not going to stop you in the overall path. Think about that.

It’s Okay to Be a Little ‘Nuts’

A new job at 40 is a legitimate path for you, for me, and for anyone else out there, no matter their stage in life. Make sure you keep all your bridges clean, keep working on your skills, and keep your reasons for change in mind and it will be a path of growth that you can believe and bank. Take the motivation test today and see which of the nine motivators work best for you, and start living life aligned with those motivations. You’ll quickly find out that life is just beginning, my friend.