Blogging to help others

I’m P, 60 years old, from Vienna. For about 30 years, I worked as an engineer. but in my mid-50s, an accident forced me to stop working in that field. What followed was a tough period where I struggled to find a new job and felt labelled as “unemployed” for very long. This had an effect on my  self-confidence as well. I lost my feeling that I had something valuable to offer.

During the Sassi workshop that I was invited to attend, I learned to look at my life from a different perspective. For the first time in quite some time, I stepped out of the mindset of being long-term unemployed and rediscovered myself as an expert. I realised that despite my challenges, I still had a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a strong will to take control of my life again. The workshop made me feel seen and valued.

After the workshop I didn’t want to lose the momentum. I spent some time going through the Sassi materials and found myself drawn to the Ambassador manual. I knew that I wanted to share this change of mindset with others, especially those who, like me, had lost confidence due to job loss or early retirement. I’ve seen first-hand how easy it is for people in our situation to feel like they have nothing to offer, and I wanted to change that.

I’m currently starting a blog with a friend. Our aim is to create a space where we can share our experiences and help others who are in the same boat – people who feel stuck at a later stage in life, stuck in a vacuum, unsure of what to do with the rest of their professional life. We want to provide a platform where peers can connect, share their stories and support each other on their journey of rediscovery at a later stage in life. I don’t know yet if this project will be a success, but what I do know is how rewarding it feels to work on something that gives me purpose. It’s been a way for me to rebuild my sense of identity. Now, when someone asks what I’m doing, I have something meaningful to share—it’s empowering to be able to say that I’m working on a project that matters.