The past year, I have been detoxing after a 30 year intensive career. I am healing so my second half adventure will be built on a solid and healthy foundation. I want to move from Success to Significance in a way that has enduring impact. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
What I could not see while ‘heads down’ in my career was the pathology that was driving my success, my addiction to performance, my distorted view of God, or how my health was being damaged. So how do you detox in a healthy way even before you make a Halftime transition?
- Get counseling if needed – I met with a Pastor friend of mine after I left the company. As I began to discuss what I experienced during these demanding executive years, I broke down in tears without really knowing why. I didn’t have the emotional skills or objectivity necessary to figure myself out. He said I needed Christian counseling, which I promptly ignored. However, a year later, having tried everything I could to find emotional health, I finally humbled myself enough to admit I needed professional counseling. Boy, was that first visit difficult!
- Schedule solitude – The nut of the issue is to focus on your spiritual and emotional health before making big changes or starting something new. You can’t plan and drive your way though this one! Trusting that God is in control, that He knows you and loves you and is actively working in your life to heal you and make you more like Jesus every day is the basis for your strength to change. At times I felt totally lost, without direction and downright depressed, but at just the right time through daily solitude and reflection He would remind me of His care and put the next step in my mind.
- Change your belief about God – God is not like your business! He loves you because He decided to, not because you can achieve goals for Him. Memorizing Psalm 103 has been a great help when I feel unlovable.
- Get some friends around – Your spouse can help, but you also need a friend or two who have experienced the intensity of your career and understand your need to detox.
- Rebuild your health – create a simple plan to eat healthy, get daily exercise, ample sleep. These alone will begin to clear your mind and help you gain perspective about what God has next for you. Put exercise on your calendar each day – and think about who can join you?
Make a list of action steps you need to take and put them into your calendar as well. You may also want to engage a Certified Halftime Coach who has been through Halftime personally, is called to help people like you, has the proper training and can guide you over time through the head and heart aspects of this season of life.
Written by: Rod Stewart, Senior Executive, Global Technology
