Finding Meaningful Work at 70: Day Twenty-Eight

It's the weekend! I'm looking forward to the Packers playing the 49ers this Sunday as I'm a huge Aaron Rodgers fan because of his career trajectory. Rodgers was originally expected to be selected early in the 2005 NFL Draft as he had posted impressive numbers as a junior with Cal, throwing for 2,320 yards with a 67.5 completion rating in the regular season. He had tied an NCAA record when he completed 23 consecutive passes against the eventual national champion USC. He threw for 24 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in his last college season, impressing many NFL scouts.

Before the draft, Rodgers was confident that he would be drafted to the team he supported and grew up near, the San Francisco 49ers, who possessed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. (you can see why tomorrow's Packers-49ers game has added significance!). The 49ers, however, drafted quarterback Alex Smith out of Utah instead, and Rodgers slid all the way down to the 24th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has said that he experienced much angst and restlessness when waiting to be selected several hours into the draft, as he had expected himself to be selected much sooner. The parallels to searching for meaningful work in your 50s, 60s, and even 70s are compelling.

After backing up Brett Favre for the first three years of his NFL career, Rodgers became the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008. In 2010, he led them to a victory in Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers, earning the Super Bowl MVP. He was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 2011,[3] and was voted league MVP by the Associated Press for the 2011 and 2014 NFL seasons.

"The thing you realize as you get older and you play, that you don't really understand when you're a backup the first few off-seasons, is how important that mental rest is. You need that ability to find that escape" (Aaron Rodgers). The same goes for your career search. The balance is to adjust your weekend activity to give yourself the much-needed decompression without losing momentum and focus. Continue checking the job postings. Do another job search so nothing misses your attention. Take stock of your prior week's statistics and identify what's working, work isn't, and what should be eliminated. Then, do something for yourself. For me, it's the Packers-49ers Sunday!

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Garrison Leykam is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC), Forbes contributor, and author of Audacious at Any Age based upon his presentation at The Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT.