I can personally vouch for the truth in the words of The Voice (australia) contestant when he said :”Being who you really are is a risk worth taking”. I was 30, in a safe and responsible position in the Australian Treasury in Canberra. I looked out my window one day thinking ’35 more years of this and then a gold watch? And that’s it??” I decided I hated working for no purpose beyond just paying the bills.
It took another four years of searching to find the answer. Then my life changed in one day, attending a seminar on leisure as a social issue. I was hooked. I passed a Graduate Diploma in Recreation Planning with distinction, got a job in the then new SA Department of Recreation and Sport, quit my job at The Treasury and moved with my wife and young children to Adelaide.
Reactions from Treasury colleagues ranged from “you are mad, Peter” to “I wish I had your courage”. To them the risks were great. To me, my heart had found it’s rightful home. To deny it was pointless. The secret was in the realization at 30 and the four years of subsequent searching.
I have since forever enjoyed being the real me – as a recreation planner for the rest of my working career which gave rise to my first book “Enjoy Being You” in 2001. That book subsequently brought me work in the business world, leading to me becoming a Life Enjoyment Mentor.
Your heart knows what it wants…it just needs you to put it into search mode. It might be during your working career, or after you leave work…or both!