Seasons of a Professional's Life

Out of a desire to see emerging adults embrace a life of significance has grown this pilgrimage into what constitutes a flourishing life. One of the key components, in my opinion, that enables a young person to succeed personally and professionally is the investment, the relational equity, they create with mentors, especially when intentionally seeking out intergenerational relationships. Merging concepts from research in the areas of career development, lifespan theory, generational theory, and spiritual development, a model has emerged that will hopefully be helpful, not only to current college students, but to the practitioners currently working in various disciplines, including the sport industry.

Foundational to the current mentoring model is the idea that as one moves along their career path, they gain insight and skills that can be a valuable asset to those in other phases, or cohorts, of their career. In McHugh’s A Listening Life, readers are reminded to recognize and embrace the various seasons of life. “Your questions will be fluid, and they will change as you move through different phases of your life and relationships. I don’t believe that we only receive one calling in our lifetime. Your questions as a mother of toddlers will be quite different from your questions after they have grown up and gotten married. A question that makes your heart burn at age thirty may be extinguished at age fifty. After all, Jesus was a carpenter until he was thirty. The questions we are given will change—they are the beginning of the chapter, not the end—which is why we must persist in listening for them in every phase of life.” By establishing mentoring relationships with people in all seasons of life, we open our world up to a wealth of knowledge and experience.

After examining numerous researchers’ approach to define and describe these various seasons of a career, a framework was created that will assist us in navigating the identification of mentors so that we establish an intergenerational model. Below, you will find the table describing the Pilgrimage of a Christian Sport Professional and although you will see chronological ages associated with each phase/cohort, these are subjective and will vary depending on each person’s journey; however, they can serve as a reference point. For more on the relationship between time and this mentoring model, please see the post entitled Chronos vs. Kairos.

Just as McHugh described above, different questions arise depending on what season of life and career a person happens to be in; therefore, grasping the idea of what typically occurs in these various phases can guide a person when attempting to develop the Habits of a Flourishing Life. Recognizing also that although all five habits will be vital in all the stages of the lifespan, there may be periods when the formulation of some habits seem more critical than at other stages. For example, an emerging adult just beginning their career may need to invest more time in learning about who God created them to be, what their gifts and talents are, and how these can be aligned with a vocational choice (Habit of Awareness). A seasoned person entering Overtime may be searching for opportunities to create an Encore career where their focus may shift from earning income to giving back to their communities in a unique way (Habit of Deep Work).

Currently being in the Season phase of life, it is fascinating to observe emerging adults (Pre-Season) and the challenge of attempting to assist them in this phase of the journey while also having wonderful opportunities with Campers on Mission to work side-by-side of those engaging in an encore career (Overtime). One of the incredible benefits of being on a college campus is that we can see, each and every day, the interconnectedness that intergenerational organizations offer as we have people in all seasons of life interacting with each other. Opportunities for mutual mentoring abound if we are willing to invest relational equity in those currently in different seasons than us.

So, as we continue on this pilgrimage to develop a mentoring tool that might lead us to create a flourishing life, may I encourage you to share in the comments below which season of life you are currently in and what valuable lessons you are learning.