If AI can polish your CV, cover letter, and interview answers, what will actually make you stand out?

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Boston Dynamics and Hyundai partner to deliver humanoid robots in car factories.

With the current speed of technological advancement, how can we possibly predict the future and what careers might look like? As I write this – Hyundai, in partnership with Boston Dynamics, are to kit out their assembly lines with humanoids. So the autonomous assembly line, as per Minority Report, is on the five year horizon … Read more

Six Questions to Help You Make the Most of 2026

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A Moment to Pause and Reflect As 2026 approaches, it’s easy to think in terms of goals, resolutions, and external markers of success. But making the most of the year ahead isn’t just about doing more, it’s about becoming more intentional with where you place your energy, attention, and effort. The questions below are designed … Read more

Audit defence. Millennium Falcon LEGO. Mid-career calling.

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Audit defence. Millennium Falcon LEGO. Mid-career calling. Not a combo you hear every day, but we managed to cover all three when I joined audit defense and Oracle licensing legend Craig Guarente on the “World’s Greatest Licensing Podcast” from Palisade Compliance – Independent Oracle Experts The episode wasn’t just about licensing complexity. It was about … Read more

Entrepreneurial analysis paralysis and the fallacy of the big idea

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I’m not sure who needs to hear this today, but this is for you if you’ve been brewing an idea for a while. You’ve got something in your head: a venture, a practice, a course, a one-person business. And instead of building it, you’re twisting yourself in knots about it. Waiting for the perfect idea, … Read more

Well paid and still unhappy? This might be why

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Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in mid career So there are two drivers behind your motivation at work, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. And I’m talking especially to those of you in mid-career. If you’ve worked hard and you’ve achieved a lot and yet something still feels off, this is for you. A Simple Example: A … Read more

Ending the Interview Charade: Be Honest About the Chapter You’re In

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The interview charade we all play There is an unspoken ritual that happens during the interview process or when you’re joining a company; it’s like a charade, with the person interviewing you and trying to recruit you into the company, pretending that you’ll work there forever and be endlessly loyal. And the interviewee, the person … Read more

How the Kolbe A Index Reveals the Type of Work You Thrive In

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Which Type of Work Feels Right for You?

Imagine there are four objects on a table, each representing a different type of work. There’s actually a psychological test that can predict what sort of work you would prefer.

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Stuck in Your Career? Here’s What That Feeling Really Means

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There Has to Be More to Life Than This

I was on a walk in the mountains with some guys the other day and somebody said, referring to their existing career, “There has to be more to life than this.”

He was referring to having a mortgage to pay, family commitments, and how he’s providing for his family, but shoveling away doing something he doesn’t really like. It pays well, so he just needs to keep his head down.

Like many people who head for this mirage on the horizon, it’s like, “I just need to get to X. I just need to get the mortgage paid or reach retirement or whatever magical solution will be in the future. Then there’ll be an escape route.”

And I recognize this — there must be more to life than this — because I’ve felt it myself. This quiet despair. This dread.

It’s not ever-present. It’s something that pops up on a Sunday afternoon.

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Personal Energy as Your Career Signal

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A Simple Energy-Based Technique for Better Career Decisions

I’d like to share with you a decision-making technique. In this context, I’m focusing on careers and how to find more fulfilling work or align with your purpose. But this method can be used for many areas of life.

If your career feels off or you’re feeling restless, this technique can be surprisingly powerful in helping you find clarity.

It’s simple: ask yourself, where’s my energy at?

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Why Following Your Passion Alone Can Backfire in Your Career

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Follow your passion.

This is common advice given to people from friends or colleagues because they want somebody to find something they love or their passion, right?

But I suggest that that’s actually a really bad idea and can actually be counterproductive to your career.

In this article, I’ll describe what to do instead.

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Your Career Calling Won’t Arrive in a Brown Envelope

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A traditional mailbox at the end of a driveway in bright daylight, with its door slightly open and a single brown envelope inside.

The official-looking letter from the taxman looks formal, black-and-white, and decisive. That’s how many people think their career decision is going to arrive: like ding! — here it is, in writing.

You’re going to be an astronaut. You start Monday. You’ll earn twice the salary, and you only have to work a four-day week.

People expect that level of perfect clarity just to turn up. And in the absence of it, they do nothing.

But the reality? It doesn’t show up like that.

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The Silent Fear that Keeps Talented People Playing Small

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Every big decision in your life is set on this pair of weighing scales, and the scales tipping determine whether you proceed or not. In order to change, to grow, to take the next step, whatever that might be, the scales need to tip. And on these scales, you’ve got the fear of failure on one side, and on the other side you’ve got the fear of regret.

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The psychology of career calling

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Psychology of career calling

Video: Mid-Life Restlessness: Job, Career or Calling – The psychology of career calling

Video Transcript

“So if you’re feeling a little bit restless in mid-career, not sure what to do next, this will explain the psychology behind all of this. Why you’re feeling restless, why you’re maybe yearning for something else. It’ll also describe why you should take that seriously, what to do about it, and the barriers you’re likely to face along the way.

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Exploring Calling – the identification, pursuit, and effects amongst mid-career professionals

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Abstract – Exploring Calling

This study explores the concept of calling at work. It begins by looking at the definition of a calling, reflecting on motivation at work, the religious background of the concept of calling and the constituent parts of a calling: inner drive in a particular direction, the prosocial contribution and alignment with one’s strengths or issues one feels are important.

Career change and behavioural models are explored to understand a sense of calling. Measurement scales are also reviewed to identify those who might benefit from following their calling, how they are motivated and the need for intrinsic meaning. The study reviews the benefits of following a calling, the challenges individuals face, and the techniques scholars recommend in its pursuit.

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A three-hour workday because of AI

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three-hour workday because of AI

In the 1930s, the economist John Maynard Keynes suggested that in a hundred years’ time, we’d all be working 15-hour work weeks or a 3-hour workday because of advances in productivity. Keynes predicted that we’d all have a lot more leisure time due to our material needs being met.

Interestingly, he also referred to the “Man’s dilemma” of knowing what to do with oneself when you have so much leisure time. A “sense of dread” because people were so busy striving and not used to the “age of leisure”. How does one occupy oneself when working only 3 hours a day?

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17 questions that unlock your personal values

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Personal values

My previous article discussed how values could make or break your career. In this follow-up article, I will cover identifying your values.

First of all, it’s worth reflecting on how our values develop. Your personal values can be shaped by your culture, family, upbringing, friends, community, education, personal experiences, media, influencers or role models.

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How clarity over values can make or break your career

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Values

When embarking on a career transition or considering what career to pursue, I believe assessing your values and strengths is the first foundational step.

In this article, I’ll outline the power clarity over your values can deliver for your choices – potentially making or breaking a career. In a follow-up article, I’ll cover how to discover your values.

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Little-known ways to harness your intuition

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Little-Known Ways to harness your intuition

When I started my mid-life awakening in October 2021, I remember receiving two standout pieces of advice:

  • “Carve out time in your diary to think,” said Dan Stanley.
  • “All the answers you need are inside your head; you just need to be quiet enough to hear them,” said Jonathan Edwards.

Wow, Looking back, how spot-on these guys were.

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Motivating people at work, time to rethink carrots and sticks

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We’ve covered how people are motivated at work in previous posts. External things that happen as a result of work (Salary, perks, recognition) drive some people, whilst the satisfaction of the work itself guides others. See “Jobs, Careers and Callings” and “How to harness true inner direction and ignore ego-driven goals”.
So I was keen to read Daniel H. Pink’s 2009 book “Drive – the surprising truth about what motivates us”.

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10 ways you are held back from changing careers and going after what you were REALLY meant to do

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If you are a mid-career professional in an established role, don’t be surprised if you face a little resistance to changing careers!

The 10 elements below might prevent you from pursuing a calling and ending any frustration you might feel with your current role.

Some common challenges include:

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