Each morning we are born again.
What we do today is what matters most.
Feeling dazed and confused? Could this be your second adolescence?
Sociologists created the new term “middlescence” to define the disequilibrium created by midlife confusion, something I now call midlife hell.
Webster’s defines it this way:
mid•dl•es•cence–noun: the middle-age period of life, esp. when considered a difficult time of self-doubt and readjustment. [Origin: 1960–65; b. middle and adolescence]
I heard a more pejorative definition of midlife when I saw the new Indiana Jones movie: “when life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.”
My assessment of midlife is the same as just about any other part of life: you determine what you make of it. My own midlife experience has included various points of extreme disappointment and hopelessness which slowly transitioned into the very best time of my life. And that’s just in the past seven years! I definitely hit bottom, but bounced back nicely.
Desperation led to inspiration for me.
A midlife crisis is when we reassess our lives and often find some major room for improvement. We change our mind so that it can work better for us. We begin to question all of our previous assumptions about why we are here, and what we hope to accomplish. It is a mid-course readjustment to make sure we make it to the other side.
Why? Because all of our previous plans have fallen through, or simply did not turn out to be as satisfying as hoped. We need to take a painfully honest look at our present circumstances and try to learn from our past mistakes. We need to invite all of the intelligence, maturity, and integrity we have inside to help us get better at living our life.
What do you want out of life that you simply aren’t getting now? Do you deserve to have more of what you want or is this it? Can you do better? What is your true potential?
The only way to find out is to start living it today.
“The fifties are everything you are meant to be.” -Maya Angelou
September 24, 2008 at 12:18 am
Oh - this is wonderful! I always wanted to be a writer. I always loved helping people. And it wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I discovered I could write, help people - and make a great living all at the same time…it’s amazing what you can do when you stop worrying about the “how” and focus instead on your “dream.” As soon as I found myself enjoying the action steps, and then doing more of the action steps I enjoyed, things just sort of took shape…and there I was.
Not exactly what happened with my marriage though - I had to basically turn around everything I thought I knew and everything anyone was telling me - including therapists - to discover how romance and relationships with men really work…to feel strong on my inside and let myself be soft on my outside…and just sit back and marvel at how my marriage did a 180 so fast.
Look forward to reading more of your lovely thoughts, Rori