The Second Half of You Life V

In a society in which success has become so terribly important, having options will become increasingly vital.

There is another reason to develop a second major interest, and to develop it early. No one can expect to live very long without experiencing a serious setback in his or her life or work. There is the competent engineer who is passed over for promotion at age 45. There is the competent college professor who realizes at age 42 that she will never get a professorship at a big university, even though she may be fully qualified for it. There are tragedies n one's family life: the breakup of one's marriage or the loss of a child. At such times, a second major interest--not just a hobby--may make all the difference. The engineer, for example, now knows that he has not been very successful in his job. But in his outside activity--as church treasurer, for example--he is a success.

In a society in which success has become so terribly important, having options will become increasingly vital. Historically, there was not such thing as "success." The overwhelming majority of people did not expect anything but to stay in their "proper station," as and old English prayer has it. The only mobility was downward mobility.

In a knowledge society, however, we expect everyone to be a success. This is clearly an impossibility. For a great many people, there is at best an absence of failure.
Wherever there is success, there has to be failure. And then it is vitally important for the individual, and equally for the individuals family, to have an area in which he or she can contribute, make a difference, and be somebody. That means finding a second area--whether in a second career, a parallel career, or a social venture--that offers an opportunity for being a leader, for being respected, for being a success.

ACTION POINT: Begin early to find a second area for success in your life.