How to Take Steps Toward a Career Change

If you're a member of the sandwich generation and thinking about changing your career, Caryn FitzGerald, our guest blogger this week, has some tips for you.

On our Monday post, Caryn asked you whether you want to break free from the corporate world and live the life of your dreams. Here's what she has to say about that. "The answer is simple, follow your heart and don't allow yourself to give up.

1. Ask yourself what is your true passion? What really makes your heart skip a beat or your energy soar? For me, it was helping others move through the challenges they faced in stepping into their own lives. As a woman who has recovered from eating disorders and broken free from abusive relationships, I knew what it was like to feel powerless and out of control. I used those experiences to help others and create the lifestyle I enjoy today. Those feelings effect all of us at one time or another and the ability to identify them and create a support system to assist us through them is crucial.

2. Find a mentor who has achieved the goals you are seeking to accomplish. There is no better mentor than someone who has been where you are and is now where you want to be.

3. Be honest with yourself. What are you willing to give up to make this dream a reality? Be specific! Are you willing to give up television? Eating out with friends? Four dollar a cup gourmet coffee adds up ($120 a month) quickly, are you willing to give up some of the luxuries you enjoy today, to invest in yourself for tomorrow? What is your ultimate goal? Again, be specific. Creating a vision board will allow you to envision the life you are truly seeking to live.

4. Create a business plan. Every successful businessperson has made a detailed plan of what steps they will take, monies they will invest in both the business and themselves and what result is desired.

Do you want to become self-employed with the freedom of working from home? Or purchase a franchise and be the owner while others work for you? Perhaps you want to become part of a team and create residual income as a network marketer. These are just three of many different avenues one can take to create independent income.

Be aware that replacing the income of a corporate job with an income as an entrepreneur can take time. One of the incredible benefits is that one can take small steps, a few spare hours each day, to build the foundation that will allow them, in time, to leave their job. This is not the lottery - it's breaking down and recreating a new way of living. Releasing the old habits and replacing them with new, healthier habits that will serve you in moving into a passionate life.

There will be failures along the way. The key is to remember that in order to succeed one must fail, get back up and continue to move forward. Ask anyone who has achieved the lifestyle they desire how long it took and how many failures they endured along the way and you will learn that success always come with a price. The price includes determination, persistence and resilience. The road to success involves hurdles and failures, yet how quickly you decide to get back up and move forward is up to you. The faster you get back onto that horse, the easier it becomes the next time and eventually you will reach the goal of living the life of your dreams!"

Caryn FitzGerald is a mother, wife, friend, writer, raw foodist, nature lover, teacher, blogger, entrepreneur, coach and overall lover of life! She is an eating disorder and domestic violence survivor. Caryn believes that a full, abundant life can be created and enjoyed regardless of one’s past. Today she assists others in creating the life of their dreams. Connect with Caryn.

If you want more information as you begin your search, these ideas and video may help. And here's material specifically for midlife career change. Sign the email list to the left of this post to receive our free monthly newsletter, Stepping Stones and download our ebook about how to reach your goals.

Helicopter Parents and Teen Self Esteem Month

Did you know that May is National Teen Self Esteem Month? And that a negative self image can affect learning and social skills as well as lead to delinquency, eating disorders and substance abuse? Some experts believe there's a correlation between how much and what kind of control parents exert and how their children experience themselves.

Growing up, perhaps your parents kept such a close watch over you that it felt suffocating. Have you ever thought, now that you're the parent of teens, that you're doing the same thing? As parents, it's perfectly normal to want to advocate for and protect your child. But what is too much?

The term Helicopter Parent refers to those who hover, are overly involved and rarely out of reach. Do you regularly rush to school with forgotten lunch money or speak to teachers about missing assignments? Instead of a sense of entitlement, perhaps it's time to instill a sense of personal responsibility.

Adolescence, with its hormonal changes and peer pressure, can be a challenging stage of development. You may feel ambivalent about backing off, especially if your kids are stressed out or emotionally fragile. But learning to let go is really in the best interests of everyone.

To learn more, wikipedia.com has references and the definition of helicopter parenting. And we'll be sharing our own practical tips with you the rest of this week. If you're ready to get started, sign our email list to the left of this post and download a free ebook - reading it may help you find the courage to take the first step!