New Chapter

 "Why would anyone want to start their own business and be self-employed, when month-in / month-out, come rain or come shine, covid lockdown, capital controls, global or local economic crises…my monthly paycheck lands into my bank account on the last working day of the month. I get private medical insurance, I get a company car, bonuses….Why ON EARTH would you want to jeopardise that!?!?"...said a wise woman ONCE!!!

 

Yet, then came the bloody age thing! Yes, that thing that suddenly gets you to 47-48. As I looked around me (back then when I was in Microsoft) only to realise that there weren't that many 50+ years old, let alone many 55+ years olds.

 

And so suddenly a new dimension opened up in front of me that until then, had no reason to exist. It was the question of long-term EMPLOYABILITY. The question of "what the hell is going to happen to me, if I get laid off at the age of 55? Who the hell is going to employ me?" And so the creative worrying started, the re-thinking, the revisiting of all my philosophy about 'dying corporate'.

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I had sworn to be a corporate animal, till death do us part…But the age bug infiltrated my mind. It didn't completely govern it YET, but the idea that hmmm….actually, I might just have to become self-employed at some point in life so that I can guarantee a decent income well into my 50s and 60s was here to stay not just an idea, but a plan that had to come to fruition at some point in time.

 

I wasn't however at all ready for anything beyond just having that thought. It just sort of stuck with me as a new dimension that I HAD to start considering.

 

And then guess what? At 49, I got laid off from Microsoft (2023) and this new dimension was just a little bit closer. I was actually quite grateful that I wasn't laid off at 55, and I was 'still' 49! At least the '4' was in front.

 

What happened next I have written in a trilogy article Job Searching so I won't go into that.

 

Fast forward to today. What started out as just a thought has now evolved into my new reality. An actual new start. A new chapter.

 

You know it's funny...when I had given a speech to students a while back, I had written on a slide

 

20s are all about EXPLORING

30s are about GROWTH

40s is all about MASTERY

50s is your last chance for reinvention

 

And so here I am at 51, daring to reinvent myself. With no guaranteed outcome, no guaranteed success. Just self-confidence, good positive energy, a refreshed drive and a genuine excitement for what I am about to set out to do.

 

I am using the growth of my 30s and the mastery of my 40s to set out to do what I love and do best.

 

It's neither innovative nor impressive. It doesn't have to be. At 50, I am not out to impress. I am not seeking a grand ending to my professional career. It's about me doing what I love best. It's about me choosing exactly what I want from my professional life.

 

As I wrote in my article 'At 50...' it's about me getting to choose where I want to be. No company will dictate where I should be.

 

And so here I am...opening this new chapter, excited about what's ahead. I have zero stress about it succeeding...the journey will be worth the while whatever the outcome.

 

I will never regret. I will never have to look back and think...but what if ..

 

I will have tested and maybe failed, but at least I will have tried.

 

So... here's to new chapters, new adventures, new beginnings.

 

🥂 Here's to new learnings

🥂 Here's to meeting and working with new people

🥂 Here's to succeeding and failing

🥂 Here's to never giving up

🥂 Here's to never stop exploring

 

 

Here's to my life's philosophy which is a little bit of bitterness everyday

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