I’ve been thinking about midlife crises lately. Maybe because I am approaching (or in?) middle age. At 43 I have friends that are suffering what some would consider a midlife crisis, and others that seem to be moving along just fine. This has me thinking about the causes of the midlife crisis and I wanted to share my thoughts. By no means am I saying this is an original theory, but I think it’s worth considering.
I’m beginning to believe that there comes a point where we start to get disillusioned. If your someone who always played by the rules and did “the right thing” and still not living a life of fulfillment, you might start to get a little angry. Coming to the realization that going to school, getting that degree and getting the job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be can leave you wondering why you bothered in the first place.
We all have friends who didn’t do “right thing”. They march to the beat of their own drum, colour outside the lines and they are no better or worse off than we are. The difference between those friends and us is that they have a lot fewer regrets, and for that reason I believe they don’t suffer from midlife crises in the same way.
So how do we avoid experiencing our own midlife crisis? I think the key is to stop worrying about what other people think and do what makes you happy. Find what lights you up and do it! I’m not saying to quit your job and start a rock band tomorrow. What I am saying is that you can do what brings you joy as a hobby or volunteer. You can go back to school to pursue the things that people told you there was no money in so don’t waste your time. Whatever it is that’s keeping you up at night, wondering “what if” is what you should find a way to connect with.
I don’t think that going through a midlife crisis is something that we all have to go through. I think that we can avoid it by pursuing our passions in a way that works for us. It’s about giving ourselves permission to live life in the way that we want to and not worrying about pleasing others or being fearful of rocking the boat.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my 43 years, it’s that everything happens for a reason. If you’re wondering what the point of doing things by the book was because it didn’t get you where you thought it would, I would say that it taught you that it’s okay to take the unbeaten path. Get outside your comfort zone, learn something new, do something in a way you’ve never done it before. It won’t always work out the way that you want it to, but that’s okay!
Remember the journey isn’t always about the final destination, sometimes it’s about the experiences along the way as well! Safe travels ♥