I’ve met a few people lately dear reader who are of the middle aged / gen x persuasion and have lost jobs.
They’re worried about what’s next and how can they ‘fit in’ to today’s marketplace.
My advice?
Don’t.
Get lean at home and go find a job with a name tag.
No one with a name tag truly has any responsibility.
Get yourself a name tag and find a way not to have your opinions, experience or wisdom be necessary or take seriously.
Become irrelevant at work.
Then?
Leave.
At the end of the day there are no moral dilemmas nor unfinished projects.
There’s just the hockey game or your bike or your sewing.
No planning.
No marketing.
Get a name tag that frees you from the chains of busywork.
Leave it behind
And sleep well knowing that what you do doesn’t really matter at all.
For the longest time they’ve told you Take control, rise to the top. Then you can write your own ticket.
Stop writing tickets. That’s just more work.
Do less.
In every way.
Do less work. Make it all less in every way - less taxing work, physically, mentally and emotionally will leave you with deeper resources for those who matter most.
Drop the masks and the middle class street cred for ‘doing something’.
Give up any illusion of control.
Make it easy.
Coast.
Sure financial freedom might be nice.
But you have assets that can get you over the hump.
You’ll figure it out. You always do.
Even when it seems like you won’t.
But most of all?
When you wear a name tag there’s always someone above you to take the hit.
Let the dummies lead you. Stop being that person who takes the job to protect everyone from the incompetent boob.
Spin those wheels.
You’ll make it work.
Because really,
It’s like my nanny says: One day I’m going to wake up dead.
The same can be said for you too dorkbreath.