3 Intriguing Forks in the Road in Uncertain Times - Career Pivot

3 Intriguing Forks in the Road in Uncertain Times - Career Pivot Forks in the Road in Uncertain Times Copyright: tiero / 123RF Stock Photo Forks in the road happen all of the time as it relates to life and our careers. There are times when we have to make decisions on when to end things and start anew. This is particularly true when we live in uncertain times. Boy, do we live in uncertain times. I recently reviewed the bookNecessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloudand this book has had a dramatic impact on myself and many of my clients. I would highly encourage you to read this book. Check out my post titled Necessary Endings â€" They are Part of the 2nd Half of Life. I am approaching 3 forks in the road as it relates to my business and my life. I suspect I am not the only one. Forks in the Road #1 â€" Scaling Career Pivot I spent much of 2016 discussing with mentors, coaches and other professionals on how to scale Career Pivot. There were two options: Franchise the business â€" I have a clear business model and process that could be franchised. Move the business online â€" Build an online community or membership website where people in the 2nd half of life could come together, share and learn. I was moving in the direction of franchising the business until I had discussions about what it would take to select franchisees. My background is very eclectic and would bedifficult to replicate. I am a recovering engineer with a learning and development background. Having worked in multiple industries and across a variety of disciplines makes my background very unique and my systems are built upon that unique background. I have refined the system but could anyone else use it? I have determined it would be very difficult to scale the business in this fashion. I have been looking for others who have successfully built online communities for those in the 2nd half of life. There are a few but they all focus on lifestyle. I looked at AARP’s Life Re-Imaginedand it has been reinvented/reengineered multiple times with little success. My plan is to start small and grow the community based on community input. Look for more on how I will be scaling the business online in the coming months. I mentioned this in the annual reader’s survey where I asked for volunteers to be initial members of that community. Forks in the Road #2 â€" Do We Move? The bookNecessary Endingsreally got me thinking about why my wife and I are still in Austin, Texas. Both of us moved here in the 1970s, my wife a few years before myself. I have no family in Texas and much of my tiny family is dead or far away.My wife has limited contact with her own family. Our son and daughter-in-law live in Washington D.C. and probably would visit us more frequently if we moved. We have been discussing moving to Galveston, one of favorite weekend getaways for several years. We have already downsized into a condo back in 2009. I joke there was no bedroom for our son to boomerang back into after he graduated from college. Listen to the most recent episode Austin has changed a lot over the last 40 years and it is not the sleepy college town we once enjoyed. The cityhas major issues which include traffic, affordability and the fact that Austin is now the most economically segregated city in the country. Why do we stay here? Inertia. Forks in the Road #3 â€" Where Do We Move? I hate uncertainty and I am not alone. Check outmy post When Uncertainty Strikes, Focus on What You Can Control. Since the election, a tremendous amount of uncertainty has rippled through our country and economy. For me, it started before the election when I received my health insurance rate increases. Since then I have watched the federal government in total disarray on what to do with Affordable Care Act (ACA). I have to be prepared if my wife and me, both of us are over 60 and not eligible for Medicare, either cannot buy health insurance next year or it is over-the-top expensive. We currently pay $13,000 a year for a $13,000 deductible policy which is absurd. I have become a big fan of the Hanson McClain’s Money Matters podcast. Late last year, they had a gentleman on from Retired Brainstalking about the best places to retire overseas. Retired Brains has a wonderful analysis rating the various places to retire overseas. Being a recovering engineer, I loved their analysis. The top 3 countries are: Ecuador Panama Mexico The Wall Street Journal published an article last November,If You’re Thinking of Retiring in Ecuador,that was quite encouraging. Read the section on health care in Ecuador. When this post is published we will be packing for a 2 week trip to Cuenca Ecuador. We have already made one scouting trip to Mexico and another is planned for October. That first trip confirmed that technology would allow me to work from anywhere. What is Next? For those of you who volunteered to be initial participants in the new community, I will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks. Look for more posts related to these forks in the road. Are you experiencing forks in the road? What are you doing about it? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...