Welcome to my book about how to start something new in difficult times throughout the chapters of your WorkLife Story.

Here is a preview of what’s inside, along with the main ideas and the meaning behind these.

WorkLife is our life at work, where we spend one third of our lives. It is also the impact our work has on our life outside of work, and the impact our life outside of work has on our work. All areas of our life in and out of work are so intrinsically linked, they cannot be separated, nor do I believe should they. I believe WorkLife needs to be considered holistically.

There will be times in your WorkLife when you will need to make changes. When you will be required to start something new. This may be brought about by difficult times.

Sometimes this need to start something new will come from external influences – situations and conditions outside of your control. Sometimes this need to start something new will come from within yourself – a sense of feeling unhappy, unfulfilled, unmotivated.

Sometimes you will be able to anticipate change coming and take time to plan to navigate it, in starting something new. Other times you will have adapt to change quickly. At all times you will find that you have much of what you need within you to start something new, and what you don’t have, you will find a way of getting, in even the most difficult of times.

In this book I tell five stories:

1. 
   

   WorkLife Longevity Brings About a New WorkLife: John’s story of how when having retired too early, he found a way to carve out a new WorkLife that allowed him to do what was important in and out of the workplace.

   
   


2. 
   

   It Was the Worst of Times and Then it Got Even Worse: The Walton’s story of living through the most difficult times in history.

   
   


3. 
   

   Willingness to Change is a Strength: Tara’s story of how not long after losing her husband, she lost her job, and how through being open to change, she was able to come through a difficult time.

   
   


4. 
   

   How a Side-Hustle Saved My WorkLife and MyWell-Being: Saoirse’s story of how starting something new helped her to recover from severe burnout.

   
   


5. 
   

   How a Side-Hustle Can Supercharge Your Skill Set and Effectively Future Proof Your WorkLife: Saoirse’s story of how she combined her diverse skills to create something that was truly her own.

   
   

I share the exercises that helped to work through these challenging situations to resolve the dilemmas. I present these exercises as the following assignments for you to work through:

Navigate the In-Between Assignment

This assignment is to help you to navigate those in-between times when you’re starting something late or dealing with something difficult.

Develop a Practice of Continuous Self-Feedback Assignment

This assignment is to help you to use active pauses to be open to experiences.

Develop a Practice of Insightful and Effective Self-Questioning Assignment

This assignment is to help you to pay attention to opportunities and know the right questions to ask to make the most of them.

Maze of Change Assignment

This assignment is to help you to keep moving in a new direction.

Use Reframing to Shift from a Negative to a Positive Mindset Assignment

This exercise is to help you to acknowledge what is possible.

Four Steps to Designing Your WorkLife Transitions around Investing in a Diverse Set of Skills Assignment

This assignment is to help you to make transitions by managing your learning, growth and development in and out of the workplace.