For many, the pandemic has provided an opportunity for individuals to reevaluate their careers and what makes them happy. “I’ve read so many articles about how people are leaving their jobs, and making these life changes,” Shafrir tells Parade.com. “I think it has made a lot of people realize, like, I want to live the life that I want to lead to the extent that I can take that control.” While taking a big leap and making a huge change can seem daunting, tools like social media are helpful when it comes to launching a second act in life. Here, the author’s biggest takeaways.
How to use social media to launch a second act
“Social media is a really amazing way to connect with people in whatever field you’re kind of hoping your second act should be. Whether it’s on TikTok or Instagram, or Twitter, you know, finding other people doing what it is you want to do and reaching out to them and connecting with them, I think is an amazing opportunity that people didn’t have even 10 years ago. So I think people should really not hesitate to take advantage of that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be this huge social media creator, but I think it behooves everyone to kind of find those communities on social media and also not to be scared of social media. I think a lot of people, especially as we get older, sort of shy away from it because they’re scared, but I think there can be so many positives to being on social media.”
Why TikTok is a useful resource
“I think TikTok especially, there’s just so many people out there who are trying to help other people and like give them career advice and give them guidance. And I think you can really learn so much just from being on TikTok and like looking for those communities…I feel like it’s just amazing, huge, untapped resource for a lot of people.”
Plan strategically
“I would say, the important thing is to not be afraid of taking a risk. I think if something scares you and your kind of risk calculus is like, well, what if X, Y or Z happens, then that is probably a sign that you should do it. You should take that leap of faith. That’s assuming that you are not in imminent danger of going bankrupt, or, you know, losing your house, and assuming you have a basic level of comfort. I think we often talk ourselves out of things when we shouldn’t. We make excuses for ourselves so easily, like, ‘Oh, I’m too old.’ You know, ‘I don’t have time,’ and I think it’s really worth often just trying to move past those fears and anxieties.” However, Shafrir noted that there is a fine line. “I think people should pursue second acts. At the same time, it’s like, [if] you’re living paycheck to paycheck and your dream is to just quit your job and become an actor or something like maybe that is not the most realistic endeavor,” she says. “In terms of like, practical advice, I do always suggest that people have at least six months and preferably a year of an emergency fund, especially living expenses saved up to give yourself that financial cushion. If you are making a huge change, especially if that change is like not going to be bringing in money right away.”
Try this helpful psychological exercise
“If you’re thinking about taking the big leap, play out the scenario of what happens if this goes the way I want it to go. Like then what happens? What does my life look like, but then also think about okay, what if this doesn’t work? Like then what happens? Instead of catastrophizing it, like really think about concretely, what will I do? Because then I think it takes a lot of the pressure off because you know you sort of have a backup plan and you can sort of see, ‘Okay it’s not going to be the end of the world if I try this thing and it doesn’t work out.’” Next, Take The Big Leap! Everything You Need to Know About FOX’s New Second Chances Series
