The Covid Impetus | The Mid-Career Worker Post-Covid
Are we Regressing or Progressing?
Sir Isaac Newton, the famous English scientist, once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” What Newton was explaining, was that his ideas did not come from him alone. He relied on the ideas of those who came before him.
When I reflect on this, I consider the generations that came before us, specifically the Builders (Born 1925-1945), the Boomers (Born 1946-1964), and Generation X (Born 1965-1979). The Mid-Career Workers great grandparents, grandparents, and parents. Those that we witness demonstrate that you’ve got to work at life. Nothing will be handed to you. If you want your situation to be better, then get up every day, work hard for what you believe in, give it all you have, and keep going. We’ve seen by their example, that when you get knocked down, you get back up, and advance forward. Giving up was not an option for them, nor is it for us.
We celebrate and thank them for the advancements they made, shaped by the events, experiences, and political climate of their time. For what they saw, and what they did with the opportunities that were set out in front of them (by their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents), who gave them the knowledge and insights to strive for more, to be more.
But what does this mean for Generation Y (Born 1980-1994)? How can we, the Mid-Career Workers, pay tribute to those that came before us, the shoulders we are so privileged to stand on, to set the path for those following behind? How will we be celebrated as a generation?
To answer these questions, we need to first take a moment to reflect on what has got us too today.
We are a generation that has witnessed hardships that challenge the very existence of everything we have built our lives on and made our decisions around. We’ve witnessed financial crises and the devastating effect this has on families, towns and countries; acts of terrorism that shone a light on the devastating behaviors and actions that humans are capable of inflicting; a global pandemic that no one was prepared for that challenged and changed the very nature of how work gets down, and more recently the potential for a global recession that it seems no one will be able to hide from. We’ve watched families divorce, loved ones perish, careers collapse in the blink of an eye, and systems we’ve depended on so significantly be challenged to their very core, such as within health and education. Our entire belief system has been disrupted and the reasons we use to get up every day, no longer seem compelling enough.
And yet, we get up! We bring our grit, determination, and relentless belief that things can and will get better. We wipe our tears, we console one another, and we band together, stronger, ready to fight the good fight. For our job is to imagine a tomorrow that is better than today, and to work to make that a reality.
So how do we embrace the events shaping our generation? How do we ensure that the workplace disruption that came so abruptly with Covid, stays so we can take the time to redefine the future of work as we were raised to know. Go to school, get a degree, diploma, trade, a job. Work hard, save hard, buy a house, raise a family, enjoy life once the kids have finished school, or university, or whatever; plan for retirement; then live your best life!
When we take a good look at the formula we were raised to embrace, something is surely broken. Pre-covid we were on the wheel of life, spinning out of control. We couldn’t slow down, say no, save enough, live enough, recharge enough, be enough….it was never enough. No time, no money, no energy, no way of getting off what felt like a train speeding out of control.
Enter Covid. Enter empty calendars, boardgames with the kids, endless movie nights, recharge bliss! Then, restlessness sets in, we want it back, but not how it was, some of it, and some of this new stuff we’ve since enjoyed. We know things can’t continue but we are resisting the urge to go back to what once was, scared of what that means, what impact it will have on the life and relationships we have re-built and re-energised.
We’ve seen glimpses of a better tomorrow, because of those that have come before us. With their wisdom, insight and sacrifice and our experience, knowledge, and gratitude, we have the opportunity to reimagine a future that benefits us today, and the generations to come.
How will you lean into this opportunity? What will you choose?
About the Author
My name is Gayle, Founder & Director of Thriving Minds Global. As an individual, I’ve spent my career intentionally disrupting myself, seeking out change, opportunity, the next growth play as I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that at some point throughout my working life, change would be ‘done to me’. Meaning that at some point in my career, I would find myself in a position where I would be forced to go down a path I didn’t choose. I also have an insatiable desire to learn, driven by my passion for wanting to help others tap into their potential and to find what gets them out of bed in the morning!
Thriving Minds Global is an inspiring purpose-driven leadership coaching and consulting firm, with an unwavering commitment to accelerating learning and growth in others.
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