Why I am Building a New Career from Scratch

By Allan P Trottier

Not long ago, I found myself staring at a blank page, not just on my computer screen, but in my life. 6 years ago, I experienced a medical emergency that altered my life. I had two heart attacks, affecting my health, mobility. I am now unable to work, the old path I thought I would keep walking was no longer there. Life was not supposed to feel like this, uncertain, unsteady, unfinished. Yet here I was, facing the question no one wants to ask themselves at sixty. What now?

For a while, I wrestled with the weight of that blank page. There was frustration, watching others my age “settled” in their careers while I was trying to figure out how to rebuild mine. There was fear, what if I tried something new and failed? And there was loneliness, the kind that creeps in when your world feels smaller than it once was. But the truth was simple, I could either give up, or I could start over. I had no choice but to slow down physically. My circumstances also prompted me to engage in self-reflection. I realized that the traditional work path I had once was not coming back, my career in Retail Management was over. I could spend the rest of my days stuck in regret, or I could take the risk of beginning again.

That decision to start from nothing, did not come with fireworks or applause. It came with a quiet resolve. A blank page, a few ideas, and a promise to myself that I am not quitting. I chose writing as my path forward. Partly because I have always loved writing, partly because writing gave me a way to work within my physical limits. But mostly because I wanted to build something of my own, something no one could take away from me.

It has not been easy. I am still looking for my first client and trying to earn an income. I have used my time for learning, experimenting, and fighting off the voice that whispered, you are not good enough, this will not work. But with each attempt, a blog post, an article draft, even a rejected pitch, I was laying the bricks of a new foundation.

I am learning. It is a daily practice of showing up, even when the results are small and the doubts are loud. Let us be honest, starting over is not glamorous. Money is tight. Progress feels slow. The gap between where you are and where you want to be can look impossibly wide. I have had to navigate life on disability pay, adapt to mobility challenges, and find ways to keep myself motivated in isolation. Some days, the weight of it all feels crushing. But here is the other side of that reality, those same challenges have made me more resilient. They have taught me patience. They have given me more of an understanding and compassion for others who are quietly fighting their own uphill battles. In other words, the hard parts are not distractions from the journey, they are the journey.

As much as starting over has tested me, it has also given me gifts I did not expect. I have rediscovered my creativity. Playing guitar, writing, and reading, even just reflecting, these are not hobbies anymore, they are lifelines. I have learned to value progress over perfection, celebrating small wins instead of waiting for some big breakthrough Most of all, I have realized that my life reinvention is not about reclaiming who I was. It is about discovering who I can still become.

My story is personal, but it is not unique. There are times when unforeseen circumstances intersect with the lives we lead. For some, it is a career change. For others, it is loss, illness, or circumstances they never saw coming. The lesson I have learned, and the one I would share with anyone standing on the edge of their own blank page, is this, beginnings do not have an end date. You do not need perfect health, perfect timing, or perfect confidence. You just need the willingness to start, however small, however uncertain. That blank page I once dreaded does not scare me anymore. Each day, I add a few more words, a few more lines, a few more bricks to the foundation of this new life I am building. I may be starting from nothing, but this time, I am drafting the story myself.

So, if you find yourself facing your own blank page, remember, the first step is always the hardest, but each day you persist, is progress. You are stronger than you think, and your story is still unfolding. Keep building, keep believing, what you create next might surprise you.