323: When What You Want Seems Impossible

In today's episode, Heather Hansen answers a listener's question from Mary, a woman over 50 who is struggling to find a job and feeling replaced by younger generations. This episode is not only for those in a similar situation but also for anyone who believes something they want is impossible, or who is concerned about artificial intelligence impacting their career. Heather emphasizes that the root of "elegance" is to choose, and she provides three crucial choices to navigate these challenges.

In this insightful episode, you'll learn:

• Addressing the Listener's Core Concern - Heather directly addresses Mary's fear of being replaced by younger generations and the broader concern about AI taking jobs, setting the stage for the episode's advice.

• The "Elegance" of Choice - Heather introduces the core concept that the word "elegance" means "to choose," framing the entire discussion around the power of intentional decision-making in one's career and life.

• The Power of Perspective - Heather introduces the "rubber band experiment" to illustrate how changing your perspective from "this is" to "this could be" can open up new possibilities, especially in career paths like fractional roles, consulting, or independent contracting.

• Exploring New Career Avenues - Building on the idea of perspective, Heather suggests concrete alternative career paths such as fractional roles, consulting, independent contracting, or exploring non-profits and startups, encouraging listeners to think beyond traditional employment.

• Building Belief through Evidence - Heather discusses how belief shapes energy in job interviews and how to cultivate a positive belief system. She explains two ways to gather evidence: collecting existing data (e.g., studies showing older workers are more reliable, companies actively recruiting them) and creating your own evidence through action.

• The Value of Older Workers - Heather provides compelling evidence from studies (Stanford and Harvard) and corporate initiatives (Goldman Sachs returnships) that highlight the reliability, trustworthiness, and effectiveness of workers over 50, directly countering the belief that age is a barrier.

• Strategic Action for Opportunity - Heather highlights the importance of taking strategic action beyond just sending out resumes. She emphasizes leveraging one's "ecosystem" or network, suggesting regular interaction with contacts as a powerful way to create opportunities and build evidence for your beliefs.

• Human Differentiators in an AI World - Heather revisits the previous week's discussion on AI, explaining that human energy and unique ecosystems (networks) are qualities that artificial intelligence cannot replicate, making them crucial differentiators in the job market.

• Leveraging Your Ecosystem/Network - Heather elaborates on the concept of an "ecosystem" as a valuable asset, providing personal examples of how her own diverse networks have led to professional opportunities, encouraging listeners to recognize and utilize their own.

In this episode for Libsyn: 

[01:04] - Addressing the Listener's Core Concern
[02:39] - The "Elegance" of Choice
[02:55] - The Power of Perspective
[05:00] - Exploring New Career Avenues
[06:5