The exact question that came to me is, I'm 42 and scared I missed my chance for real career growth. Is it too late? Well, let me start with the truth. The truth is, no, it's not too late. I don't know how you're going to convince yourself of that. I don't know what it takes to really believe that, but you're going to have to believe it. Whether or not you do an affirmation every day or you write a note on the mirror, the bathroom mirror, you're going to have to tell yourself every day is not too late. Burn that self-talk into your brain and your vocabulary. It is not too late. Okay. As a matter of fact, I would come back to say you're on time because the best time to do it is now. There's a saying, I think, in real estate that says, when's the best time to buy a house? And that's now. That's always now. But the question comes in, behind that question is, I believe, fear. And it comes from the myth that success belongs to the young, right? And you've heard it about protégés, about these genius tech bros that become millionaires and build an empire just when they're still under the age of 30 or something else. Well, sure that happens, but maybe it's more myth than reality. But most of us grow into greatness. We don't stumble into it. We grow. and at 42, you've grown and you have something that many professionals don't want and that's experience. Before I get started, I wanted to speak to the woman who knows she's meant for more. If you've been stuck at the same level for too long, I created a leadership assessment test just for you and it takes just about three minutes and if you qualify, you'll unlock my $2,000 leadership advantage, including four weeks of coaching with me, access to our private WhatsApp community, and access to the tools to get you moving again. So start there, take the test, use the link below. So at 42, you know who you are, you know what you value, You know what you absolutely will not tolerate. And you don't suffer fools gladly. Let's say just one quick thing about values. You know what you value. I'm going to come back and talk more about your values in another podcast. But self-awareness is very important. And in self-awareness, you know what your values are and what your values are not. Okay? so um life playing that 42 is actually an advantage at 42 you you seen things You can recognize patterns You have survived meetings You survived teams both functional and dysfunctional You navigated issues with supervisors, with co-workers, and you're resilient. I hope you are by now, by then, because resilience matters. With that gray hair goes wisdom. And so you have that wisdom. And while we're talking about it, let me add something about soft skills. If you're in your 20s and 30s, you've focused on your technical abilities. But in your 40s, you need to master soft skills. Those soft skills are actually what drives leadership. So what are soft skills. That's your ability to communicate, that's your emotional intelligence, conflict management, collaboration, influence, and executive presence, right? And so you can abolish those things intentionally and in doing so that can elevate you to the next level and do something that training or credentials will never, never do. Those soft skills are critical in being successful. So let's talk about the reason, the real reason behind that it's too late. It's too late. And I want you to hear from somebody who lived it. It's not just a theory. It's not what's in a book. I lived it. And I made a major career pivot at the age of 54. And guess what? My life didn't fall apart. And in many ways, my life started again. New opportunities found me and I stepped into a season with courage and not shame. So what did I do? I started a business, Muse Technologies. I had 40 years in the government. I didn't know about starting a business, but I did it anyway. Let me pause here because I can feel someone listening who needs to hear this. If you're tired, if you're questioning yourself, if you've quietly stopped believing that your next level is possible, please take my leadership assessment test. I created it so women like you, women who are strong, resilient, and who are overlooked. You can finally understand what's blocking your growth. And if you qualify, you'll unlock my $2,000 leadership advantage. And I'll walk with you personally for four weeks. So go take the test. Give yourself permission if you want more. And while we're talking about late looming, let me share this too. I completed my PhD at 60. Six zero. I was the oldest one in the class. Yeah, I was the oldest one in the class. And I was in the class with a bunch of 42 And if they were thinking it was too late then what about me Was it too late And the answer was for me no it wasn because this PhD has helped me It's helped me in terms of what I've learned, what I've learned about organizational leadership and leadership and complexity and chaos, which is what we're in now. and I also have a credential, right, that is certainly a door opener. It might, that's not sufficient. It's not, having the PhD isn't sufficient. So you can be in your 40s, you can be in your 60s, and it's still not going to be too late. So let's lay out your career track. At 20-something, it's about hustling. At 40-something, it's about strategy, right? So now let's be more strategic as a 42-year-old plus. So first is you control your narrative, right? If you're applying for a job, you want to make sure that you're not coming in as a late bloomer. I helped a young lady who was taking care of her mother for 11 years, and she had no work experience at all. and so I said girl give me your resume and you will see what you call that you can be and I turned her work as helping her mother, her sick mother into her administrative abilities, her ability to manage priorities make appointments, transport her to the doctor be an advocate, patient advocate when she needed to, and her resume was able to encourage her. So you control that narrative. You control the narrative with your resume. Second point, you can't grow if you're invisible. So if you're sitting in a meeting and you don't say anything, you're invisible, right? Are you an introvert? Are you shy? That's something that you have to practice getting out of it. Present your work. Present your ideas. Find your voice, right? And if you look for visibility and ways to be visible, that's not arrogance. That's stewardship. Stewardship of your gifts and stewardship of your accomplishments, your professional accomplishments. Number three, relationships. relationships are the new resume that is your people you know open doors right people you know could be sponsored people you recommend can people can recommend you and also people that you recommend so being out there networking and i think this video on networking and how do you do it when you introvert you not doomed if you an introvert find that podcast about being an introvert in networking Number four polish those soft skills I talked about it You have to really focus on that. For emotional intelligence is one of the critical soft skills, right? Dan Goldman, one of the gurus of emotional intelligence, says that if you're very best technically, the most successful people who are good technically are the ones who have the soft skills. Those are the ones that people want to work with. Those are the ones that are team players. Those are the ones that find a way to make the team and the organizational successful. And finally, number five, make courageous choices. Don't be paralyzed by fear. No, 42, your life is not over Don't be afraid to make that step Don't continue to play it safe Take some risks, get out there Apply for jobs, let people know All those things And while I'm at it, what's your social media presence like? If you are looking to be out there, get on LinkedIn And if you're on LinkedIn, please get a picture The thing that I hate most of all Is seeing, I don't know what you call an Easter egg It's an egg shop And no picture So there's enough There are social media AI products out there right now That can take probably your selfies And turn it into a nice professional headshot So let me end with this You haven't missed your chance It's not too late And you're definitely not done Your life is not over I reinvented my career at age 54. I earned my PhD at age 60. And I lived and I thrived. But because that was, for me, the right time. It's like real estate, the best time to buy real estate is now. So the best time to advance yourself is now. And timeline isn't like anybody else's timeline. It doesn't have to match a friend, a colleague, a colleague, or anyone else. It wants to be yours. So your life, your timeline is rich with possibilities. And when is the best time to make that move for your next level paycheck? The time is now. There's an African proverb that says you can go fast alone or far together. And let's go far and let's go far together. So take my leadership assessment test and let it show what you haven't been able to say out loud. And if your results qualify you, I'll support you through your next step. And I'll support you with a $2,000 leadership advantage, access to our private WhatsApp community, and personal coaching. You deserve to rise. Start with the test. It's your moment.
