A t some point -- usually between the ages of 40 and 50 -- most people feel unfulfilled in their careers, no matter how successful they are.

To revisit and reactivate your dreams without giving up what you have achieved so far...

Remove the pressures of youth. Imagine that you no longer need to win approval for being beautiful, strong or successful. If the social and financial pressures of making money never existed, what would you have done differently?

Make a list of the big changes and the little ones. Start each item with the words, "I would have... "

Rediscover your dreams. If your earliest career decisions were driven by the need to make money to start your family, the second half of your life can be driven by the fondest desires that you set aside in your youth.

Helpful: Notice what makes you smile, no matter how insignificant it seems. It could be reading a magazine, listening to music, playing tennis or just being in the country. Those smiles are clues to your hidden desires, the things that you really love.

Then make as complete a list as possible of your past dreams. Start with your first ones... "I wanted to be a baseball player/ballerina" -- and work your way up to around age 21, before you graduated from college.

Once you have completed your list, you may find that many of your dreams have come true -- while some are no longer significant.

The point of this exercise is to reconnect with that part of you that allowed you to dream in the first place. Once you are aware of your dreams, you can then find practical ways to act on them.

Take your dreams for a test drive. Whatever dream you decide is worth pursuing, break it down into small steps and explore them one at a time.

This process will help you move closer to feeling satisfied with your life. It will also allow you to recognize early on that a dream may no longer be worth the effort. Most important, a step-by-step approach will let you see that there are many different ways to enjoy your dream.

Example: You can realize your dream to be an interior designer by studying in the evening... or by merely reading about the history of design, which takes much less time to master while still providing you with almost the same type of fulfillment.