When you think its too late...

Sometimes a career shift idea comes on fast and swallows you in a warm hug.

A calm. A knowing. A feel-good movie fullness.

And as big as it feels in that one moment, it can disappear the next.

Not only is it gone, but it leaves a shamey aftertaste.

So, what happened?

We’ve let our practiced and ready internal “Shut It Down Machine” take over.

It’s an efficient system designed to protect us from change, from failure, from what others might think.

And yes it does all that. But it also keeps us stuck. In the same job. On the same path. Tolerating the same shit cultures.

It sounds like…

You: Maybe I want to be a writer.

Shut It Down Machine: Who do you think you are wanting to be a writer? You’re X years old. You don’t have the skills. You don’t have the education. You won’t make the money you need. It’s too late.

There it is. It’s too late.

Now, I’m not saying becoming a writer is going to actually check all your boxes and be the right career path for you.

But, the clue that this desire gives you is an invitation to investigate further. To let this idea live and breathe. To get into action around it so you can learn the multitude of ways it can inform you about your right next path.

When you step into the land of “It’s too late.”, you shut down your intuition and close yourself off from understanding and honoring your own wants.

How comfortable or uncomfortable is it for you to want something?

And why is it so hard that we need to shame ourselves for even thinking about it?

I encourage you to begin to notice when your Shut It Down Machine jumps in to wash away your wanting. Stick up for your desires. You don’t have to go out and sign up for the MFA program in the first 5 minutes after the thought, but you can get curious and take your time to learn more.

A simple, “I can take my time to figure this out.” is a lovely antidote to “It’s too late.”

You and your desires are worthy of taking all the time you need.