Reassessing Career Values in Your 40s

I spent 40 years building things that mattered. But I couldn't see my own value. I wrote my entire career story recently. 40 years. 12 pages. Every mistake included. Then I did something that changed everything. I asked AI to find patterns I couldn't see. The results floored me. 🤯 Turns out, I wasn't just "good at operations." I was a platform builder. A crisis navigator. Someone who creates belonging where none existed. I'd been describing myself as "behind the scenes." Reality? I was the architect. Here's the exercise that gave me clarity: 1) Write your whole story → Include the embarrassing parts → "Walked straight from her office to his. Dumb." 2) Capture your make-it-up moments → Times you had no roadmap but figured it out → "We had to build the plane while flying it" 3) Note your quiet leadership → Small changes that felt revolutionary to others → "I took meetings outside. People stared." 4) Include your comeback stories → How you rebuilt after setbacks → "Here's how I earned back credibility" 5) Track industry jumps → Manufacturing → media → tech → finance → Each taught you something transferable 6) Ask AI specific questions: → "What leadership patterns do you see?" → "How would a board value this experience?" → "What's unique about my approach?" The patterns it found surprised me: ✨ "You don't just fix problems. You build systems." ✨ "You create belonging in hostile environments." ✨ "You think like both founder and operator." I never saw these threads connecting my story. Your turn. What patterns are hiding in your career? What value are you blind to? The insight changes how you show up. And how others see you. __________________________ ♻ Repost to help other women discover their hidden career value. 👉Follow Stephanie Eidelman (Meisel) for more ways to see and communicate your true worth. 📫 Subscribe to my free newsletter, The Career Edit, to access tools that help you recognize and articulate your unique leadership value. (https://hubs.la/Q03dY9_n0)

We've all been there - myself included - when our job leaves us sick, scared, and looking for an exit. At the time, the weight of my confusion felt draining, my stress levels felt paralyzing, and nothing seemed to ignite even the faintest degree of passion in me. But even in these moments where we feel stuck, how often do we pause and deeply assess WHY? What I wish that someone had told me at that time was that the key to re-evaluating my career path was in understanding my own inner motivations and aligning them with my own actions. If this resonates, I want to share a strategy to help you understand your discontent and aspiration through my recent blog post titled "Using the 5 Whys to Re-Evaluate Your Career Path." The 5 Whys is a powerful tool borrowed from problem-solving methodologies, perfect for mission-driven professionals who are looking to find their next steps. This exercise will push you to go beyond the superficial and reach the root cause of your feelings. Here's a brief glimpse from one of my recent coaching conversations as an example: 1. WHY are you unhappy with your job? “I don’t feel engaged.” 2. WHY don’t you feel engaged? “Tasks are repetitive and don't challenge me.” 3. WHY do you want to be challenged? “It makes me feel like I’m growing and contributing.” 4. WHY is growth and contribution important to you? “They give me a sense of purpose and achievement.” 5. WHY do you need a purpose in your job? “I want my work to align with my personal values and passions.” From a vague sense of unhappiness to an eye-opening realization about alignment and values, this reflective process can be transformative. Once you've uncovered your core values through the 5 Whys, then it’s time to realign. Maybe it's autonomy or creativity that drives you. Or maybe your motivations lie in social impact. How can your career best cater to these values? Remember: your professional journey is not just about 'doing' but understanding 'why you do it'. In thinking about your own next steps, consider Steve Jobs’ advice: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle." 📌 Check out the full blog post for more insights: https://lnkd.in/eHJDUqDc Not sure how to use this exercise to reflect and realign? 📞I’d love to connect with you further on a complimentary call: https://lnkd.in/dZJ2Agzq Interested in other free career insights and job search advice?  📩 Subscribe here to my weekly newsletter: www.ki-coaching.com #CareerCoaching #5Whys #CareerChange #FindYourPurpose #SelfDiscovery #CareerCoach #FindYourWhy #FindYourWhy

Are Your Past Dreams Holding Your Future Hostage? “Each ten years of a [person’s] life has its own fortunes, its own hopes, its own desires.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe The Trap of Old Dreams I can't think of a single scenario in which I would seek life or professional advice from a 22-year-old, but in a way, that's what we do. The young, ambitious version of ourselves sets goals for life and career that we continue to follow even when they no longer make sense. So much has changed in my life over the past two decades, from starting a family to rediscovering my passion for writing. The experiences I have had have fundamentally altered my perspective on the world. It would be insane for me to listen to the advice of a much younger version of myself. The Value Exercise When Major General Steve Marks asked me to write down my top 5 values in 2018 (at the time, he was a colonel), I wasn't fully convinced of the importance of the exercise. However, I did it because he was my boss and seemed passionate about it. Now, at 43, I realize that this exercise is essential for making wise decisions about my career and life. Writing down my values forced me to reevaluate how I was spending my time. At 36, I quickly realized that my values had completely changed since I was 22, and I needed to align my life with these new values. And you know what? The things I value at 43 are slightly different from the things I valued at 36. The Value Exercise has become so significant to me that I began to ask the people who worked for me to write down their values and discuss them with me. If we were going to talk about career advice, we had to begin with our values! If I hadn't taken the time to reflect on my values, I might have clung to the dreams and desires of a person I no longer am. I could have become a prisoner of my past. What Do You Value? If you haven't already, take the time to write down your values. What fills you with energy? What gets you fired up when it is disregarded? Those are the things you value. Figure those out and you will avoid letting yourself be a prisoner of your past. Click here to read or subscribe to #TheSundayEmail —-> https://lnkd.in/eFNiwREz