Leverage a New Identity: Part V, Rekindle Your Passions

Rekindling Your Passions After Your Corporate Career
Leaving behind the structure and demands of a corporate career is a monumental step—one that marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter—your Executive Encore. For many women, transitioning to a different lifestyle and work model is an opportunity to remaster their lives and work. It’s an empowering experience, filled with a mix of uncertainty and excitement.

A key question to reflect on is, "How can I reconnect with what truly brings me joy? How can I go beyond simply filling time and instead make each moment meaningful, enriching my life rather than just staying busy?"

Many retirees often tell me they can’t imagine how they ever found time to work, given how full their lives have become in retirement. When I ask them what keeps them "busy," the answers usually involve chores, errands, or helping others with their tasks. It seems the word “busy” has carried over as a badge of honour from their working years, even into this new phase of life. Many become my clients when they realize that this is not the life they envisioned. It's not fulfilling. It has no purpose. Your Executive Encore (aka, traditional retirement) isn’t about simply staying occupied—it’s an opportunity to shift the focus toward true fulfillment and purpose.

The next step on your path to rediscovery often begins with stepping back into your past to explore and reignite the experiences and passions that once filled you with genuine, unfiltered joy. These are the simple pleasures you may have left behind as you transitioned into the responsibilities of adulthood.

Think back to your childhood or teenage years—what truly made you feel alive? Annual holidays of reflection and birthdays offer a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the moments that filled your days with awe and wonder.

This blog provides a guide to help you revisit those days, weave those passions into your new lifestyle, and build a meaningful routine that truly reflects who you are and what you love.

Reflecting on Childhood Interests
When was the last time you asked yourself, "What really makes me happy?" Our childhood interests are often untainted by societal pressures, making them one of the purest indicators of what we genuinely enjoy. Remember those hobbies that made hours fly by? The ones you poured yourself into without expecting anything in return? What holiday and birthday gifts and activities filled your soul with anticipation?

• Did you spend hours painting or doodling in your free time?
• Were you the kid with endless boxes of Lego, always building something new?
• Maybe you were lost in books or filling diaries with stories you dreamed up.
• Did you love solving puzzles, designing gadgets, or creating with your hands?
• Or, maybe you were the one organizing events, starting clubs, or creating spaces for others to connect—even as a child.

These early passions provide the blueprint for activities you can explore now. Reconnecting with your inner child helps reignite that spark of creativity, curiosity, and excitement—that essential piece of yourself that might have been buried under years of professional responsibilities.

Why Reflecting Matters
In previous blogs, I have introduced you to Dr. John Holland, a psychologist, who categorized interests into six types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional). These interest types align with certain activities and often directly correlate with personal satisfaction and self-actualization. Rediscovering your childhood interests can help you identify your dominant "interest type" and guide you toward activities you'll find naturally fulfilling in your Executive Encore. 

Identifying Personal Passions 
Reflecting on past interests can be nostalgic, but how do you determine which ones are still worth exploring? Not every childhood hobby or passion will align with who you are today, and that’s perfectly fine. Attempting to revisit everything can drain both your energy and your finances. Instead, let’s take a more thoughtful approach with a few simple steps.

Four Steps to Clarifying Your Passions 

1. List Your Joy Triggers
   List all the activities you loved as a child, teenager, or young adult. Then, reflect on which ones still spark your excitement or curiosity today. Which ones speak to your heart and soul?
2. Consider Lifestyle Compatibility
   Does this interest align with your current stage of life? For instance, gardening might be perfect for someone seeking peace and mindfulness, while travelling may resonate with those yearning for exploration and adventure. Although I no longer skate myself, I find immense joy in watching children as they learn to skate.
3. Experiment Without Commitment
   Ease into an activity. Try a few classes, sign up for a book club, or attend a local hiking group. Testing the waters lets you gauge what feels meaningful without over-investing in the wrong thing.
4. Discover New Hobbies and Activities with Similar Appeal
   If your childhood love of music no longer excites you, but you enjoyed the artistic expression, you might consider something new within the same vein—like photography or dance. Interests evolve, and broadening your scope is part of the fun! Back to my love of skating, there are other ways to tap into the awe that I felt as a child.

Quick Tip: Reflecting on gifts that once excited you (as simple as a chemistry set, Lego (again), knitting, or a sewing kit) can hint at interests worth revisiting.

In the next blog: Learn how to harness technology, leverage tools, and connect with communities to unlock the path to fulfillment and self-actualization in your Executive Encore. Plus, discover the most invaluable gift you can offer yourself to move forward with purpose. Stay tuned for practical insights that inspire progress.

Join the Executive Encore - Remastering Life and Work Movement
This is your time to step into a new adventure, fearlessly. Here’s how you can continue your transformation and inspire others along the way:

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel for insights and interviews that keep you inspired as you shift from corporate life to creating the life you love. Listen to the podcast.

• Comment below and share your own experiences—the challenges and triumphs of transitioning, and leveraging a new identity.

• Comment on LinkedIn and engage with like-minded peers who are on the same transformational path.

• Share this post to inspire others in your network who might be ready to remaster their life and work.

Closing Thoughts
Leaving behind the security of a corporate identity to embrace the unknown may feel daunting, but it’s also immensely empowering. It’s a chance to create something entirely your own—something that reflects your unique vision. By practising self-reflection, taking small, deliberate steps, seeking support from a community, engaging in private coaching, and reframing your skills in new ways, this transition can become one of the most fulfilling journeys of reinvention.

Design a life you truly love. 

Your Next Steps
Contact me here for more information and valuable resources for the following:

• RAISEC assessment and coaching
• Accelerator programs and coaching programs for entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs. 
• Competent Board Inc. training program referral
• EmpowerHer Excellence and the Executive Encore coaching programs for women executives, business owners, and professionals

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Are you ready to commit to making your Executive Encore the most incredible performance of your life? Contact Maestro to inquire about our Executive Encore programs. Let's remaster your encore phase, create a symphony, and celebrate the rhythm of life!

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