Oh yes I am wise,
But it’s wisdom born of pain,
Yes, I’ve paid the price,
But look how much I gained,
If I have to, I can do anything,
I am strong,
I am invincible

If you are a woman in midlife, you must remember the chorus of the 1972 #1 hit by Helen Reddy. According to Wikipedia, the song quickly captured the imagination of the burgeoning women’s movement. The 1973 NOW annual convention closed with the playing of “I Am Woman”.

According to Betty Friedan, “Suddenly, women got out of their seats and started dancing around the hotel ballroom and joining hands in a circle that got larger and larger until maybe a thousand of us were dancing and singing, ‘I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman.’ It was a spontaneous, beautiful expression of the exhilaration we all felt in those years, women really moving as women.” Reddy said, “It’s a general empowerment song about feeling good about yourself, believing in yourself.”

It was the woman’s anthem of our generation. It allowed us to get where we are today – and to help the younger generation follow in our footsteps. Rosie the Riveter ad from WWII was picked up by the 1980’s feminist movement to show we could do it all. But it also created huge expectations, often that we put on ourselves. We wanted it all – and quite often we got it – including the housekeeping and child care and full time job. And it was overwhelming to many of us.

Now it’s time to rethink our life, especially our work life. Are you still overwhelmed? I s your career one that you chose or are you still living under someone else’s expectations? Midlife is the time to have a career that reflects your authentic self.

Action:

What has been your the playlist of your life and career over the years?

What’s your anthem today?

What song boosts your spirits and gives you energy?

Sing it loud!

Diane, The Midlife Woman’s Career Coach

Diane Howell Topkis is author of A to Z: 26 Keys to Unlock Career Change Success: for Midlife Women (Career Clarity Book 1), the first in her Career Clarity series. Diane works with midlife women to gain the clarity and confidence to reinvent or re-energize their career into meaningful work for their next chapter. Please visit www.YourNextChapterNOW.com to receive your free workbook Is It Time to Reinvent My Career?