Can mid-life crisis be a blessing in disguise?
Because you've finally realized that what was passing for living really isn't, and that it's time to do something about it.
By the midlife age our story is only half told... For many people, just "die" in their 50s but don't get buried until well into their 80s. A long wait indeed. That's because we don't seem to automatically take the full life journey available to us at midlife.
The whole crux of midlife is to allow - even force - a re-evaluation of who you are and the life you have created. The good news is that it can be the most important catalyst we need to commence living fully!
How so, when life has usually tossed us so many curved balls by now - the death of loved ones, working without reward, unappreciated, ill-health, relationship breakdowns, loss of job, kids going off the rails....???
Have you been terrified that you may be going through a midlife crisis?
Suddenly, a job that seemed ok a year ago now seems to lack interest and meaning. You wonder how you've been doing this job for so long. And the thought of doing the same thing for the rest of your working life is more terrifying to you than thinking about your daughter going out on her first date.
However, the flip side of the crisis is the blessing ... Here's why.
Because you've finally realized that what was passing for living really isn't, and that it's time to do something about it.
What a Midlife Crisis Really Is
The "crisis" of a midlife crisis is the angst that goes along with being in a situation that no longer suits you. Painful? You betcha! But only for as long as you keep your finger to the symbolic flame.
The pain is there to tell you that this career, friendship, partnership, lifestyle situation, choices in life are something you've outgrown, and that's a very good thing.
If you're 40+ you possibly have at least 20 or more years of work ahead of you before you can retire. That is a long time to be remotely aware that you're bored and under-challenged.
And there is plenty of time to take on something that will inspire you and allow you to use what you've learned in the first half of your life.
So this midlife crisis brings things to a head and is a wake-up call. It's a real-life call-to-action that's challenging you to take what you've done in your life so far and move it up a notch.
The Next STEP FORWARD
Remember when you were a child and life felt like it had a buzz?
When school started, then there were holiday vacations, then summer, then school again. And there were larger patterns: high school, college or university if you were lucky... or finding a job where you could become independent and make a way for yourself in the world.
Now, as an adult, life seems like one big endless desert and for the most part as far as the eye can see everything is the same. Every-Single-Day.
But who said this had to be true? Was it our main role-models who showed us ho-hum, humdrum? Does life as we live it, really have to be this incredibly boring?
Your midlife crisis is your call to change the scenery. It's time to do something - but not just something different - you have to take it up a to a new level.
Its time to think outside the square you have created so that your next thing is challenging.
The excitement factor
What would give you the excitement you need to do next? What would feel challenging to take on in your life? Career or otherwise.
Does it feel like the right move to volunteer in third world with your skill and expertise when you have been the companies' senior manager?
To take on public speaking sessions?
To head up a new project you have been interested in?
Maybe to apply for that new job in a new field in a new place that you've always had a love for?
Or to explore something different because you've never loved what you're doing now?
Your midlife crisis is asking the question - "What challenge do I want to take on next?"
Finding Your own solutions
“Your midlife crisis is asking the question -
”What challenge do I want to take on next?””
The critical first step to finding the solutions or answers that are right for you is to allow yourself permission to ask the question.
Many men and women are so afraid of what it means to have a "crisis", or so afraid of change itself, that they try to squelch it by any means possible - acting out, denial, you name it.
But if you can imagine this as not a crisis at all, but rather a call to take on a new and exciting challenge, you might actually get excited about it.
Instead of being embarrassed and wanting to hide it from everyone except your closest friend or therapist, you might actually start talking about it and realise many other people want to hear your mid-life story and the amazing things that you're working on.
Your midlife crisis might actually be something that gives you joy.
when is Your Midlife Crisis Happening?
A midlife crisis can become a blessing because it's what finally will get you over the hurdle of doing nothing about your situation. Even though change is hard, you've known that audible whisper within has been right for a while now.
NOW is the time to do something you actually care about. Something that challenges you, make effective use of your skills, and helps you reach your optimal potential. Something that saves you from the painful suffering that you don't have to endure.
So don't put it off any longer. It's time for your midlife crisis.
Live a life with no regrets.
(Life Coaching can help you unravel these mid-life mysteries that await.)
