Tag: Mid Life crisis

Mid Life Ecclesiates?

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven;  a time to be born, and a time to die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted”. —  Ecclesiates 3:1-2

And a time for mid life, which happens in it’s own unique way for virtually everyone.  For some, like me, it can easily last a decade.  For others, perhaps it comes and goes over a weekend.

The essence of a mid life crisis is that it’s a time for reflection, and asking:

  • “How did I get to this point in my life”?
  • “Is this where I thought I wanted to be”?
  • “What is the purpose of my life”?
  • “Is there anything I need to change”?
  • “Can I change it, and is it even worth it”?

Life is hard.  There is no manual telling us exactly what to do.  There are so many unpredictable things that change, destroy or inspire our plans.  It’s up to each of us to choose wisely.

Forgive Yourself, Please

“A man must learn to forgive himself”. — Arthur Davison Ficke

One of life’s fundamental success principles is learning to forgive. Yet it’s not enough to simply learn how to forgive others. Which is and of itself, one of life’s biggest challenges.

Bigger still is doing it to yourself. Life will never be complete without the critically fundamental act of forgiving yourself.

Many people in, or nearing, mid life find this difficult.  We carry “baggage“.  Apparently, we like carrying baggage.  Why else would we carry so much of it?  It gives us excuses for why we are like we are.

Well, I dislike baggage.  Perhaps if we really wanted to change, we would.  So maybe, many of us are co-dependent on ourselves.

Hope your day is full of self-discovery.  Self-discovery in mid-life can be painful to admit.  It can also be the key to letting go of our baggage and learning how to travel with a lighter suitcase.

Workaholics Hate Leisure Time

“Because it is less structured than work, leisure time leaves workaholics at a loss for what to do.  Workaholics practically climb the wall when they can’t work”.   — Marilyn Machlowitz

This is “painful” to read.  Why?  Because I felt particularly guilty this weekend.

While I did do a decent job of carving out time with our son, work occupied a better portion of the weekend.  It was predictable.

It isn’t leisure that leaves a loss for what to do.  It’s quite enjoyable, almost nirvana, doing nothing.  But the work starts to pile up.  So much to do.  So little time.

Yes indeed, so little time.  Our nine-year old will be driving before you know it.  And then it will be too late.

Our Son, A Guardian of Ga’Hoole

“Once upon a very long time ago, in the time of Glaux, there was an order of knightly owls, from a kingdom called Ga’Hoole, who would rise each night into the blackness and perform noble deeds.  They spoke no words but true words, their purpose was to right all wrongs, to make strong the weak, mend the broken, vanquish the proud, and make powerless those who abuse the frail.  With hearts sublime they would take flight —-“

In mentioning to a work colleague that I recently read the first (in a NY Times best seller series), Guardians of Ga’Hoole book, and how refreshing it was to not read a business or self-help book, she said her doctor commented that this is a tactic to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

While I had never heard this before it made me feel good.  How often do we, as mid life adults, hear something totally unsubstantiated and automatically believe it’s true?

The real reason I started reading Guardians of Ga’Hoole is to find common ground with our son (9). Perhaps that’s a good antidote against aging too.

Mid Life Crisis?

Mid Life Crisis?  Mid Life Celebration?

Two choices.  Maybe there are more, but it only seems like two that are obvious.

So if you had a choice, which would you pick?

No brainer, eh?

Yep, no brainer.  Then why are so many unhappy?

Because life is hard.  Sometimes, it even feels impossible.