6 Questions to Ask at the Midpoint of Your Career

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Strategy and Business Model Section | 1

6 Questions to Ask at the Midpoint of Your Career

By Rebecca Knight | Harvard Business Review | February 02, 2024

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Reaching middle age — which often coincides with the midpoint of your career — can be a moment when your achievements, ambitions, and reality collide. Wrestling with feelings of unmet expectations is common; realizing that many of your early dreams and aspirations might not happen — like ever — is sobering.   But experts say this period also offers a profound opportunity for growth. It’s a chance to reevaluate your priorities, draw from your experiences, and carve out a path that aligns with your goals for the future.   Ask the following six questions as you take stock of your career in midlife.

1. What will I regret not having done or learned 10 years from now?  Regret may have a negative connotation, but it can be a powerful teacher.  Harness the power of anticipated regret, which involves imagining the disappointment you might feel in the future if you don’t take certain actions today. This foresight can help you make decisions that your future self will appreciate. Research suggests that maintaining curiosity, learning new skills, and embracing new experiences are correlated with living a longer, happier life.  The goal is to “make decisions toward long-term fulfillment, not immediate gratification.”
2. How do I tap into my purpose?  Many people are influenced by external factors early in their careers, whether it’s parental pressure, societal norms, or a desire to conform to particular notions of success. This can lead to career choices that prioritize others’ expectations over your own desires and interests. Later, sacrifices for spouses and children may further eclipse personal ambitions.  As you reach the midpoint of your life it’s time to shift from a career shaped by external forces and others’ agendas to one driven by what you want and find meaningful. Determining what a personally meaningful career might look like for you requires self-reflection. “What excites you? What agitates you? What are you curious about? What activities from earlier in your life did you once enjoy but have since neglected?” The answers can help you identify potential pivots in your career.
3. What mastery or gift have I developed that I can offer to the world? The psychiatrist and author David Viscott said: “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.”  A classic exercise associated with Peter Drucker can help. This involves someone asking you “What business are you in?” five times in a row, with each successive question helping you to refine and focus your response. “The final answer often yields an epiphany.  The aim is to come away with a clearer understanding of your strengths and how they can be applied in ways that are meaningful and consistent with your personal purpose.
4. What do I want my days to look like?  We’re often encouraged to think big about our professional lives.  Try to contemplate your future by thinking smaller. “Get to the micro level by considering what you want the details of your daily routines to look like.  Rather than focusing on grand long-term goals envision a typical day in your ideal future. Consider how you want to spend your time, who you want to interact with, and what you want to do outside of work. This thought experiment allows you to gain clarity about the life you want to create and align your goals with the practicalities of your day-to-day existence.
5. What trade-offs am I willing to make — or no longer willing to make?  It’s natural to second-guess your choices and mull over potential what ifs. Maybe you’d have more money if you’d done things differently. Perhaps you’d have closer relationships or a stronger marriage if you’d made other decisions.   But you must bear in mind that “you made choices that made sense for your needs and priorities at the time.”  The key is to give careful consideration to your values and priorities, and to make conscious decisions about the compromises you’re willing to make. “There are no right or wrong answers, but you need to be intentional.
6. What’s getting better about my life?  Faltering memory, creaking joints, hot flashes, fading energy levels — the challenges and indignities associated with getting older are all too familiar. But rather than dwell on them shift your mindset to appreciating the upsides of aging: the wisdom you’ve gained, the experiences you’ve had, and the personal growth you’ve achieved. This change in perspective isn’t just pie-in-the-sky optimism; it can have real, tangible benefits for your well-being and longevity.  Ageism persists in both the workplace and society but you need to confront your own internalized ageism, as well. “If you show up with curiosity and passionate engagement, people will notice your energy, not your wrinkles.”

3 key takeaways from the article

1. Reaching middle age — which often coincides with the midpoint of your career — can be a moment when your achievements, ambitions, and reality collide. This period also offers a profound opportunity for growth. It’s a chance to reevaluate your priorities, draw from your experiences, and carve out a path that aligns with your goals for the future. 
2. Ask the following six questions as you take stock of your career in midlife:  What will I regret not having done or learned 10 years from now?  How do I tap into my purpose? What mastery or gift have I developed that I can offer to the world? What do I want my days to look like?  What trade-offs am I willing to make — or no longer willing to make?  And ahat’s getting better about my life?  
3. Beyond middle age there’s no roadmap. The goal should be to draw on the wisdom and experiences you’ve gained along the way, and “consciously curate the next phase of your life.”

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Topics:  Mid-career, Personal Development