| What is the Mid Life Knowledge Centre? If you're in | | | | If you are currently without employment (and you're |
| midlife yourself then YOU are a midlife Knowledge | | | | too young to retire), then you are definitely not using |
| Centre. The knowledge and experiences that you | | | | your knowledge centre - or rather, you are not being |
| have built up over the years are unique to you - | | | | allowed to use it! |
| nobody else knows what you know! Nobody in the | | | | Eastern civilisations understand that knowledge |
| world has the same knowledge centre as you! | | | | comes from experience and older people have an |
| Think about what you have done during your life so | | | | honoured role in the society. Whether it's in the |
| far. Think about your education, the jobs that you've | | | | workplace, the family of the local community, the |
| had, your hobbies, the places that you've visited, the | | | | wisdom of older, more experienced, people is |
| people that you've met. Your background is unique to | | | | genuinely welcomed and acted upon. |
| you and your knowledge centre is yours and yours | | | | This is not the case in western civilisations. In the |
| only. Nobody can replace it. | | | | west we tend to write off people in the workplace |
| So are you using your knowledge centre to the | | | | over 45 as being 'too old' or 'too experienced' (a |
| maximum? | | | | euphemism for being too old...) The midlife knowledge |
| If you're in midlife and in work you have your | | | | centres of these people is being squandered, a |
| knowledge and experience to draw on. You almost | | | | terrible waste of years of experience. If 100,000 |
| certainly know WHY something will or won't work as | | | | midlifers are seeking employment and they have |
| well as HOW it works. You know that everything | | | | worked, on average, for 25 years, that's 2.5 million |
| tends to be cyclical and you will have seen most of it | | | | years of working experience going to waste!!! |
| before. You may have seen a new young brand | | | | So what's to be done? People in midlife are probably |
| manager join the team and immediately resign the | | | | the most under-supported demographic of all. Young |
| product's packaging, to give the brand a 'more | | | | people are offered help in many ways and any |
| contemporary identity', perhaps. Do sales increase? | | | | number of brands and publications focus on youth. |
| Maybe, maybe not. To you, the new packaging looks | | | | Older people are offered support and assistance, |
| very much like the packaging of ten years ago... | | | | though many are too proud to accept it. Midlifers, in |
| You'll have seen a new team manager arrive and | | | | the middle, are largely ignored! So, it's up to you to |
| within weeks he/she will have re-organised the | | | | use your own knowledge centre to make your mark. |
| department (quite possibly back to how it looked | | | | Make a list of everything that you feel you know |
| two re-organisations previously). The new manager | | | | more about than the average person. It will be quite |
| will have made other changes, looking for 'quick wins' | | | | a long list if you think hard! Then consider what you |
| (or, in consultantspeak, 'Low Hanging Fruit') to | | | | really want to do with the rest of your life - career, |
| impress their boss. You will be able to guess the | | | | lifestyle, relationships, etc. Then make a plan to go |
| outcome, good or bad... | | | | out and get it! |
| You will be using your knowledge centre to perform | | | | If it's career, then start networking - online and |
| your role. Whether the organisation that you work | | | | offline - with previous colleagues and new contacts. |
| for is using your knowledge centre to the maximum | | | | If you're looking for a new relationship, try online |
| is another question entirely (answer - almost certainly | | | | dating - it's much easier than trying to meet |
| not). | | | | someone at a club or an evening class. |