Are you looking for your calling, and not just another career? If you are, you know it. You feel it. Your heart is tugging at you to make a difference, to find the place in you where your passions lie; the place in you that really matters, that can make a difference.

Now, it’s time to make your next move. There will always be sound reasons and collective voices convincing you to freeze in your tracks: your teachers told you (they told Jane Austen the same thing) that you can’t make a living with your pen. How many people have cautioned you, “You’ve got two kids in college”; “The timing isn’t right”; and a million other reasons not to step out now? Family, friends, the local barista, your own inner critic, are all too happy to supply the con lists.

“At your age?”

“You’re having a midlife crisis.”

“What about health insurance?”

“Well, good luck, but I know I couldn’t run even a mile at ‘our’ age. You know, there’s a water aerobics class.”

“When do you have time to write a book?”

“Just give it up; menopause is going to make you fat. There’s nothing you can do.”

I know all about this. I’ve heard them all. I’ve learned to smile, nod, and realize people mean well. But, I recognize I’ve spent fifty-plus years on this planet listening to all the “You can’ts,” “I can’ts,” “You shoulds,” “You shouldn’ts.”