The other day my daughter rolled her eyes at me. It wasn’t the first time, just another teenage reminder (in case I’d forgotten) that apparently, I’m an idiot.
I receive these regular showings of affection from my kids with amusement. Whilst there’s no escaping the fact that much of the time they think I’m old and uncool, I refuse to let them see me ‘hunkering down’ into middle age. In fact, I’m only just starting to power up. After over a decade with the pause button pressed on my dreams and aspirations I’m itching to step back a little from my motherhood duties. It’s time to press Play.
When I look in the mirror, a 50-year-old face stares back at me, but on the inside I am 30. I am curious, willing to learn and ready to explore this exciting next phase of my life.
So how do I get back out there?
How can I, and my 50-year-old face, land the job or create the business of my dreams when there so many (actual) 30 and 20 something-year-olds out there competing for the same opportunities?
To solve this dilemma, I’ve drawn on my sales background and created this USPP (Unique Selling Proposition for Parents). If you’re like me, looking to get back out there and reinvent your career, I hope this serves as a reminder of the awesomeness that you’ll bring to any new opportunity:
USPP (Unique Selling Propositions for Parents)
- I have many more years of work and life experience to draw from
- I have maturity and can relate to people of all ages
- I have developed empathy towards the needs of others
- I can multi-task across many projects all at once
- I am fully functional after only 4 hours of sleep
- I offer stability – I won’t be leaving to do my OE travel or to have a dozen children.
- I’m good at figuring stuff out (maths homework, deciphering lego instructions and stretching the family budget have provided solid training)
- I can prioritise and manage my time effectively and efficiently
- I know people – I have formed many professional and personal relationships over the years that I can reach out to for help, support and opportunities.
So, we might not be as hip or as social-media-savvy as our more youthful competitors out there, but we do have some unique strengths that they won’t be able to match. All we have to do is make sure we use them to our advantage when putting ourselves out there. We can do this!
Are you Ready? Set. Go!
Lisa Nimmo is an author, poet and mum of two teenagers, based in Wellington New Zealand. To receive more poems like these direct to your inbox, enter your details here: