A recent post from Marshall Goldsmith stopped me for a moment.
The message was simple but powerful:
Many professionals will experience some type of career shift within the next five years — yet many spend less than five minutes a day preparing for that possibility.
Five minutes.
That made me think about how much time we spend managing our calendars, answering emails, attending meetings, and reacting to what is directly in front of us.
But how much time do we spend preparing ourselves for what might be ahead?
Change is uncomfortable.
It always has been.
But history has shown us repeatedly that change is also unavoidable.
There is an old saying:
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
When circumstances change, people adapt. They create. They reinvent.
The question is: Do we wait until necessity forces us — or do we start preparing earlier?
Change Has Always Been Part of the Workplace
When I was working in New York City during the 1980s, the business world was already shifting.
Jack Welch, then CEO of General Electric, spoke often about the changing relationship between companies and employees. He predicted that traditional employment structures would continue evolving and that professionals would need to think differently about their careers.
At the time, this was difficult for many people to imagine.
The traditional career promise was still alive:
Work hard.
Be loyal.
Build experience.
Move up.
Be loyal.
Build experience.
Move up.
But the world was changing.
Competition increased. Technology advanced. Companies restructured. The relationship between employers and employees began shifting.
Many professionals eventually realized the career ladder they expected to climb was being rebuilt while they were standing on it.
I was one of them.
My Own Lesson in Reinvention
After almost ten years working in finance and administration at NBC in New York City, I realized my career landscape was changing.
Was I ready?
Not exactly.
Most of us are not immediately excited when something comfortable starts shifting.
But I also knew standing still was not a strategy.
So, I made changes.
I moved to another state and started a completely different career as a recruiter.
A few years later, as a single mother, I returned to finance, worked at Freddie Mac, and decided to challenge myself further by enrolling in law school while working full-time and raising my child.
Was it easy?
Absolutely not.
There were plenty of moments when I questioned myself.
But after completing my first year with strong grades, I realized something important:
Sometimes we do not discover what we are capable of until change requires us to stretch.
I was not able to finish my law degree due to financial realities, but that year was far from wasted.
The knowledge, discipline, confidence, and critical thinking skills stayed with me.
Those experiences eventually helped me build my own recruiting and consulting business, which I operated for 24 years.
Looking back, none of those transitions were part of some perfect master plan.
They were adjustments.
They were responses.
They were reinventions.
Now We Are Facing Another Turning Point: AI
Today, the conversation is about artificial intelligence, automation, changing business models, and uncertainty in the economy.
Many companies are reassessing hiring, restructuring work, and trying to understand how technology fits into their future.
But this is not just a technology conversation.
It is a human conversation.
The question is not simply:
“Will AI change my job?”
A better question may be:
“How do I need to evolve so my experience continues to create value?”
Experience matters.
Wisdom matters.
Relationships, judgment, emotional intelligence, communication, curiosity, and leadership still matter.
But we also have to remain willing to learn.
Growth Does Not End When a Career Ends
Recently, after completing a master bathroom remodel and painting several rooms in my home, I found myself asking a familiar question:
“What’s next?”
For decades that question was usually connected to my career, my business, or my clients.
Now, in retirement, it looks a little different.
The next project is not another room to redesign.
Maybe it is redesigning my own knowledge.
At this stage of my life, even in retirement, I have decided to enroll in a basic AI program. Simply because I am curious and want to learn something new.
I enjoy learning how these new tools work and understanding how they may impact people, businesses, and future generations.
The world does not stop changing because we reach a certain age or stage of life.
And growth does not have an expiration date.
Five Minutes a Day Can Change Your Direction
Career preparation does not always require a major life change.
It starts with reflection:
- What skills are becoming more valuable?
- What parts of my work could change?
- What new tools should I understand?
- Where is my industry heading?
- Am I growing, or simply repeating what I already know?
Small questions asked consistently can prevent big surprises later.
My career and life experiences have taught me this:
Change can be uncomfortable.
Change can be exhausting.
Sometimes change is not something we choose — it chooses us.
But change can also open doors we never imagined.
Necessity may be the mother of invention.
But curiosity, preparation, and courage are what allow us to reinvent before necessity knocks on the door.
The future has always belonged to those willing to learn, adapt, and keep moving forward.
The question is:
Are we spending even five minutes a day preparing for it?
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- When was the last time I learned something completely new?
- What changes in my industry am I avoiding thinking about?
- What skills have carried me through past challenges?
- What small step can I take this month to prepare for tomorrow?