You probably know about 4,000 weeks.
It’s what Oliver Burkeman suggests is the average time we all have on this earth.
But do you know about 90,000 hours?
That’s how long many of us will spend working during our lives.
(And it’s essentially a third of your life.)
Life isn’t about work, but work can profoundly shape the quality of your life.
So when I first met Sue Deagle through the Do Lectures community, our shared dedication to learning a more meaningful life instantly sparked a strong connection.
Sue is the creator of The Luminist. She founded it following the profound personal transformation she went through after the sudden loss of her husband.
She would give anything to have her late husband back.
But despite this, her life is vibrant, meaningful, and even miraculous thanks to the hard-won lessons of grief and loss.
A recurring theme in The Luminist is “aliveness” — a concept that deeply resonates with me, as it captures the vibrant, intense richness of life.
It speaks to embracing the full spectrum of emotions, from soaring highs to profound lows, and the resilience we gain from each experience.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t always ready to ride the full wave of highs and lows. For a long time, I stuck to the safe shores, hoping to sidestep the intense emotions.
But like so many, it took a ‘life-quake’ — unexpected moments like job loss, chronic illness, or heartbreak — to shake me awake and push me towards real change.
It’s a part of being human. Even if things are uncomfortable, the unknown feels even worse.
But waiting for life to shake us awake isn’t the only way to begin anew.
While we’re called The Happy Startup School, a huge number of people join us seeking a fresh direction in their professional path.
And drawing on over a decade of experience, Laurence and I created something called an “Excite Strategy” — riffing on the term of an Exit Strategy but built for putting the aliveness back into whatever you do.
Connecting with Sue and digging into her journey brought home to me a big realisation.
The Excite Strategy is perfect for helping midlife professionals bring purpose and energy back into their careers.
Inspired by her story, I realised that this approach could offer a way for midlife professionals to actively reshape how they work and direct their careers before experiencing a life-quake.
We’re often taught to pursue careers in an “outside-in” way.
Those around us tell us to focus on other people’s expectations and aim for job titles, pay grades, and a certain level of income.
We don’t want to get judged.
We do want to fit in and feel safe.
But there’s a catch.
Over time, this outside-in approach can leave us feeling hollow, unsatisfied, alone, and like we’re going through the motions.
Why?
Because we’re disconnected from our own needs and values.
This is where an Excite Strategy comes in.
It provides a refreshing alternative to conventional teachings, combining an outside-in perspective with an inside-out approach that helps us refocus on our deepest passions, values, and sense of purpose.
By integrating what excites you with what the world needs, this approach helps you design a path that feels both alive and impactful.
Stuck in a rut?
This roadmap will guide you in bringing a renewed sense of aliveness to your career journey:
1. Reconnect with your core needs and values
Real transformation starts within. Identify what you truly need from work beyond a pay cheque — things like connection, impact, creativity, or freedom.
These insights will guide you towards a career that feels aligned and energising.
🚀 Write down 3–5 non-negotiable needs for your work life, such as “community,” “freedom,” or “authenticity.” Let these serve as your compass as you navigate your next moves.
2. Redefine success in your own terms
Success isn’t a destination; it’s about feeling aligned, alive, and true to yourself. Think about what success means to you beyond money and status.
When you define success by how it feels, you begin to align your actions with what truly matters to you.
🚀 Imagine what a deeply satisfying week looks like. What kinds of work are you doing? Who are you helping? What are you doing for yourself? How does it feel? Use these as your new markers for success.
3. Balance the “inside-out” and “outside-in” approaches
Creating a sustainable way of working is about honouring your core needs while meeting the genuine needs of others.
🚀 Explore three ways that you can help others that feel like second nature. Reflect on what brings you joy and how doing that might positively impact others. This alignment is vital for doing work that’s both meaningful and authentic.
4. Take small, energising steps towards change
Think of a career change as a process of intentional curation rather than a complete restart.
Focus on what energises you, let go of what doesn’t, and consider the potential in nurturing what genuinely lights you up.
🚀 Choose one low-risk experiment, like taking a class, joining a community group, or trying out a freelance project. Use this as a way to explore what truly excites you without overcommitting.
5. Surround yourself with community and connection
Reinventing your career doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Community provides both inspiration and strength, especially during times of change.
Seek out people who share your values and can offer support and accountability.
🚀 Find a community of like-minded professionals who are also exploring new paths. Whether through a local network, mastermind group, or online forum, connecting with others will help keep you grounded and inspired.
6. Measure your progress by aliveness, not just results
Traditional measures of success often overlook how energised we feel.
Track your progress based on what brings you joy, energy, and fulfilment rather than just your previous metric of external results.
🚀 Each week, reflect on the activities that energised versus drained you. Notice not only your thoughts but also how each task felt in your body. This awareness can help you hone your intuition, gradually adjusting your focus toward fulfilling work and away from what exhausts you.
7. See your career as an adventure, not a destination
Transformation isn’t a single endpoint; it’s an evolving journey.
Embrace your career as an adventure, where each step brings you closer to a greater sense of purpose, connection, and fulfilment.
🚀 Set a three-month goal focused on self-discovery. Use this time to gain clarity, test new ideas, and allow your sense of purpose to evolve naturally.
By taking these steps, you can actively shape a career and life that resonate deeply with who you are — without waiting for a ‘life-quake’ to force a change.
If you’re feeling that inner nudge to step onto a new path, trust it.
Embrace this blend of intentional, head-driven planning with a grounded, intuitive sense of direction.
Take small, meaningful actions, create space for community and purpose, and let what you learn be your guide.
This approach will enable you to build a career that is not only impactful but also truly makes you feel alive.