Unless you’re a lion tamer or a deep-sea diver, you probably have moments when you're bored at work. Maybe you’re having one right now. And even if your job is fast-paced—whether it’s the career you dreamed of as a child, or a job you “just fell into”—there may come a time when it no longer satisfies. You may feel that your work doesn’t address your interests, or it keeps you away from your family and friends.
“How many of us will look back in our old age and wish we’d gone to more meetings or checked our e-mail more often?” asks Valerie Young, an expert on career change. “Despite pressure to ‘play it safe’ by sticking with a job that pays the bills, you have every right to follow your dreams. Don’t confuse making a living with making a life.”
The following 10 people found the courage to do just that. If their stories inspire you to make a change of your own, you’ll find several tips from Young at the end to help you get started.
NEXT: Cops turn kayakers »
'We Want to Help People on Their Best Days'
Diane Peters met her husband while staring down the barrel of a gun.
For more than 15 years, she worked as a police detective solving murders, robberies and sex crimes in
“I fell in love with my favorite firearms instructor,” Diane says.
The next year, they married. Both had children from previous relationships, and both were excited to begin a new chapter in their lives.
“We had great careers in law enforcement. But in those jobs, we were always working with people in their most traumatic moments,” Diane says. “We wanted to spend the rest of our years helping people on their best days.”
Denis asked Diane what her favorite job had been, and she remembered the summers she spent as a white-water rafting instructor in
Last May, they opened Simply Kayaking to offer water tours in
“It goes beyond kayaking,” Diane says. “People come to us because they want to learn to kayak or just to see the birds, but by the time we get back from a trip they’re giving us a hug and they feel like family. Something happens when you’re out in nature: People just open up. Denis jokes that they don’t come to kayak, they come to talk.”
Diane and Denis say they love their new career—and the time it gives them to spend with their family.
"The kids think it's so cool,” Diane says. “They find ways to help out with the business to earn their allowance. We don’t want to push it on them, just expose them to it. We tell our kids: ‘Don’t be afraid to go after something. Ultimately, the extra effort pays off.’"