Life Reimagined is a great read for those who are searching for new life possibilities, either in their work or personal lives. As we welcome in 2015 and consider goals and resolutions, this book’s roadmap may help.

The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) recently started offering “Life Reimagined” workshops in the Twin Cities. Since we offer a “Midlife Job Search” webinar and many of our students are navigating career changes, Career Advisor Denise Pranke and I recently attended one of these workshops. It was very well-attended and interactive. The possibilities that attendees were considering covered a wide range, from empty nesters looking forward to selling their homes to pre-retirees looking to travel to career changers and those looking to add new volunteer roles or expand their present careers to new areas.

The most valuable takeaway of this book is its roadmap of six “practices” (Leider & Webber, 2013, p. 43) useful for moving forward in exploring different types of possibilities. The six practices are:
1) Reflect – conduct a self-assessment;
2) Connect – get advice from trusted friends and guides;
3) Explore – test different possibilities with curiosity and courage;
4) Choose –narrow your options by taking a deeper dive and reality check with a few options;
5) Repack – deciding what is essential for the road ahead – what to pack and what to keep – both the tangible and the intangible;
6) Act – take action towards making the possibilities real.

The map is pictured as a circle rather than a straight line so if you think this model would be helpful, pick the practice that best fits where you are in considering various possibilities. These six practices will help you ask questions and keep you on track through your journey of exploring various options.

This map syncs well with our 3 pronged “EPS” approach in the Career Services Center. We advise our students advancing their careers as follows:

“Try new Experiences; connect with new People; and tell your new Story.”

When our students gain new experiences where they stretch themselves and connect with new people – whether it’s volunteering or taking on a leadership role in their work or personal lives or presenting at a conference or joining Toastmasters , they start to view themselves differently, broaden their career identities, and tell new stories. These actions move them forward on their career paths far more effectively than other strategies.

What new possibilities will you reimagine for yourself in 2015? Would you share your thoughts on our Facebook page? We’d love to hear from you!

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Wonderful and Healthy 2015 from the Career Services Center!

Written by Senior Director of Career Services Lisa Cook