20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do
than by the ones you did do.
Mark Twain
Do you think you may be having a mid-life crisis?
The term mid-life crisis means different things to different people. However, the one common theme seems to be a growing feeling of self-doubt and a certain sense of dissatisfaction with the direction life is going.
Self-doubt may manifest itself in any number of different guises including the feeling that you're in the wrong job, married to the wrong person, underpaid, looking older or that you're wasting our innate potential and time is running out.
There isn't an exact science around mid-life crisis, but the fact is, that millions of people feel like they are going through one during their 30s and 40s.
Unfortunately, the stereotypical images we have of middle aged men driving a sports car and chasing younger women and the middle aged women lusting after their personal trainer and drinking too much wine in the afternoons, doesn’t help matters.
Few people fall into either of those categories. However, the sheer fact that they exist makes some people reluctant to admit that they might be having one through fear of looking ridiculous.
Mid-life crisis may well be a natural part of growing up. It’s a call to action that if managed well can actually be helpful in the long-term, but If it’s managed badly the consequences are very painful for you and the people you care about.
I began my mid-life crisis around the age of 35. I often describe it as a feeling or a realisation that I was on the wrong train. The people/passengers around seemed to be only interested in what was going on around them inside the train carriage with little or no concern about the world outside and the final destination.
My life like the train was on track and as I struggled to convince the people around me we were heading in the wrong direction, the train was continuing to accelerate.
Eventually I realised I had a dilemma, stay on track, safe on board the train knowing it was heading in the wrong destination, or risk all by jumping from the train, leaving my old life behind, but the hope that I could find the right track.
I jumped, it hurt, I survived and I know it was the right decision.
BUT, I wish I’d had a coach, someone who could have:
· helped me understand what was happening to me,
· taught me how to communicate more effectively with my loved ones,
· developed my confidence and emotional intelligence,
· showed me how to make good decisions and plan,
· inspired and motivated me when the going got tough.
If you think you are having a mid-life crisis, or feel like your life is off-track accelerating in the wrong direction and would like to talk to someone who has survived the jump, feel free to call or email for some free advice and more information on mid-life coaching.
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