Would you like to change your work arrangements as you move towards your next stage? Or do you just have a niggling feeling that something’s not quite as it should be? Either way, take a look at these questions:

1. How do you feel about work right now?
2. Do you want to keep working (do you need to)?
3. How do you see your working life in the next 5-10 years? What would you still like to achieve at work?
4. What’s your fantasy work situation in the next 5-10 years? Hours, conditions, work environment, role, flexibility, opportunities and so on?
5. What are your options in your current job (or field of work)?
6. How confident are you about your ability to find (and keep) ongoing meaningful work?
7. What are you an expert at?
8. What are you passionate about? What is your greatest enthusiasm?
9. What existing strengths and skills and experience could you leverage? Or transport to a new job or a new career?
10. What additional skills could you develop – either because you think you will need them, or because you are interested in the area?
11. How flexible or adaptable are you about career change? How do you feel about it?
12. How much of your sense of identity and purpose (who you are, who you know, what you value) is related to your working life?
13. Do you have any beliefs about work that could help or hinder you in the future?
14. What have you left on the back burner all these years? Is it time to bring it to the front? What parts of yourself do you want to reclaim?
15. Does your job define you, or do you define your job?
16. Does your age define you, or do you define your age?
17. Does your current identity define you, or do you define your current identity?
18. What if you saw your work as a portfolio of projects and activities? Would that change anything for you?

You can write down your answers, or let a question float around in your mind for a while – either way, I hope it helps you create a satisfying path through your next stage.