How Empty Nesters Can Find Their Purpose
If you’re in my age bracket (the over-45 crowd), you see the writing on the wall. Your kids are getting older and you know it’s only a matter of time before the kids leave the house.
This is an exciting time because you’re not as tied to home as you used to be and often moms who stayed home with the kids start looking to go back to work.
What I’ve found, however, is that the return to work and the newfound free time isn’t always as exciting as we thought it would be. The workforce may look a lot different than it did the last time you were there, making you feel like you’re too many steps behind to catch up. Or maybe the pay you’re offered is far below what you were expecting because you’re no longer on par with recent college graduates.
And let’s face it: If you’re wondering how to fill your free time after raising your kids, it’s hard to know exactly how to do that. Hobbies, activities and travel have all been centered around the kids for so long, it’s easy to feel lost.
One of the things I love to do is to help empty nest moms discover (or re-discover) their passions. It takes time and effort to find yourself again, but doing this can bring you joy and fulfillment that will make these golden years amazing.
I’ve been talking to some friends recently about finding their passion and something I’ve noticed is how different one person’s passion is from another’s.
- Some people are crafty and would do great to have a side business creating things for others, or teaching others how to create something.
- Others are passionate about health and fitness and may love helping others with their fitness goals.
- Former teachers or nurses may enjoy holding workshops for others in their communities, teaching parents how to help their children with schoolwork or how to create nutritionally-balanced snacks for their kids.
Where do you want to create an impact? Who do you want to help and serve? This is the key to finding your passion and then finding a way to fulfill it.
Once you know what it is you want to do, start networking with others so they know! Build a community of like-minded people around yourself so you can continue to grow as a person. If it’s a business you’re building, this is especially important!
If you need help finding your own passion, let’s talk! This is one of my favorite things to do.
