Let’s say you’ve done all the right things in your career: you went to law school, got a job with a good firm, and you’re now collecting a nice paycheck and benefits. But as the age of 30 fast approaches, you may be feeling like you’re wearing the wrong skin. Being an attorney doesn’t see to “fit” who you are inside, even as everyone around you is proud of your accomplishments. You can’t even discuss your unhappiness with friends; they say, “Be grateful you have a great job. The economy is terrible, and you won’t find anything better than what you have.”

Or maybe you’ve been successful at your career for many years and the age of 50 is fast approaching. You’ve honed your skills as an attorney, built a strong reputation, and are quite good at what you do. You’re rather attached to your prestigious title as partner of a large firm. Yet inside you’re tormented. The politics in your office are driving you mad, and you’re having health problems.
Congratulations! You’re right on schedule. If you’re questioning everything about your life from career to relationships, this is “on purpose.” You pre-programmed these two major career reinventions into your lifetime, and you’ve just bumped into one. Now you’re supposed to wake up and remember who you are and what you came to do.

Two things are happening at these two times, from the age of about 27 to 30, and then again from about 54 to 58. First, you’re in what astrologers call a Saturn Returning, a time when everything in your life changes. Second, you’re in what numerology calls a nine-year cycle (which occurs every nine years, at ages 9, 18, 27 and so forth); when we hit such a cycle, we have to let go of the old—from careers to relationships—if they aren’t serving our higher purpose.

Now, when these two events occur simultaneously—as they do during these two times--your life flips upside down. Everything changes. But the unease you experience is inevitable; you signed up for this challenge!
Quit complaining about how confused you feel, and be grateful that your wise old higher self knew you would need these two major wake up calls and pre-programmed them into your lifetime. The pain you feel is on purpose; it’s your fuel for moving forward. If you don’t use that pain to fuel your reinvention, you’ll self-destruct.

The end result of this inner turmoil will be a happier career that’s more aligned with your authentic self and what you came here to accomplish. No one else did this to you; even if you’ve been fired, laid off, or broken up with. It’s what your higher self intended. It’s not the end of your world; it’s just the beginning.

Now is the time to ask yourself the big questions: “Why am I here? What did I come here to accomplish? What gifts and talents did I bring with me to accomplish my mission?” These questions will guide you to the first step of your career change--whether that means investigating where you could teach law, researching a different type of law practice, getting re-educated, or starting your own firm.
Your new direction can build on the things you’ve already accomplished. Even if you switch careers entirely, you’ll take your past experiences and knowledge, and re-package them for your next career.

You came here with a mission: to raise the vibration of the planet in your unique way, using your innate gifts and talents. This is also known as “work.” You pre-programmed it into your date of birth, name at birth, and many other places inside of you to create your own GPS guidance system-- the quiet voice that calmly reminds you of your mission.

And that mission requires frequent reinventions. Stepping up to the next level of your work is required several times during a lifetime--especially every nine years. But the biggest changes are required at ages 27 to 30 and again at 54 to 58. This is when your higher self turns up the volume and yells: “Mission not yet accomplished!”

The turning point in your 50's can be the most challenging. You’ve had an awesome career so far, you’ve raised kids and created a strong social network. It’s not like you’re a nobody. Even so, your life may be in turmoil. Deep inside, you might realize you haven’t done your great work yet, the work that will make a difference in the world and leave a larger legacy.

In your 50s, it’s time to peel off the layers of pretense and false identity you may have developed to succeed in the world of career. Own your naked, authentic self in the world, and do the sacred work you’ve already signed up for--even if that means owning up to something you’ve never owned up to before. Your higher self is telling you that you only have a few productive decades left, and it’s now or never. When health issues happen in our 50s, it’s just the soul nudging us to remember who we are.

It’s your choice. Your life is ruled by free will. You either choose to rise above your challenges and live up to the great potential you came here to accomplish, or sink beneath your pain and fear and not live up to it this time around. Either way, it’s your mission. There’s no one to answer to about your success or failure but yourself. And, as you can tell from the way you feel at these transition points, your higher self is your harshest judge. Be grateful for your pre-programmed mission and move forward.
If you’re currently in the middle of either of these career/life transitions, here are some steps to help you move forward as powerfully as possible.

1. Meditate or pray at least twice a day to quiet your crazy thinking and tap into your higher self, which is where you’ll find the answers you can trust. Meditation is the best way to tap into your inner GPS system.

2. Be grateful for this opportunity to reinvent yourself, and be honest about how unhappy and off-path you’ve been.

3. Raise your energy through little things like laughing, walking and reading inspirational books; it will help move you forward in a positive direction.

4. Visualize your amazing new life and career. What will it look like? Focus only on the future and what you want to happen next.

5. See a career intuitive, coach or counselor or take a career workshop to help you manage this transition.

6. Surrender. A death is required before every rebirth. Let go of what you think you know. The new direction reveals itself only when you’re open to it and have released your old story.

Author and Career Intuitive Sue Frederick’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Yoga Journal, Natural Health, Fit Yoga, and at venues like The Crossings Retreat Center in Austin. She’s the author of Dancing at Your Desk, I See Your Dream Job, and BrilliantDay. For more info or to schedule a session, visit www.CareerIntuitive.org or call 303-939-8574.