The middle of our lives is often a turning point. It’s a time that most of us feel like we have our feet under us. Whether it be from more stable finances, becoming more senior or experienced in your career, or being in a long-term relationship, we start to leave some of the instability and uncertainty of youth. This allows us to lift our heads and gain perspective.
Many of us are also raising kids, dealing with aging parents, and starting to feel the effects of age ourselves, with changing bodies and health. Each of these circumstances alone could make us think twice about who we are and where we’re headed. In the arc of life, they are designed for just that.
And, of course, sometimes when it rains, it pours. Suddenly, we may find ourselves in a completely different life than we thought we had. Getting laid off, divorced, losing a parent, or a change in health can knock us right off the treadmill we were running on.
We spend the first part of our lives developing our identity—relating to gender, personality, occupation, viewpoints, and hobbies. In midlife, we often stop to ask: Why? And we start looking at how we fit into a larger worldview and what we want our contribution to be. What gives me purpose? What do I want the next forty years to look like?
These questions and the answers they lead to are exactly what midlife is for. If you find yourself right here, you’re not lost. You are exactly where you need to be.
Waking up to the truth of who you are is more about learning who or what you are not. It is about taking away layers or identities. We are simplifying—distilling down to what matters most.
Because you are born to awaken, you cannot do it wrong. And the Universe is designed to give you exactly what you need at the perfect time. So stopping to look around and question how you got here is precisely what will bring you clarity.
The middle of your life is an inflection point designed for course correction. The key is to trust the process. In order to do that, you must first recognize that it is a process. You must be looking inward for answers and outward for signs. Being a process also infers that it doesn’t happen overnight for most of us. It takes time. Allow yourself that patience.
Trust that life will bring you what you need and that you are always evolving. Midlife is not about realizing you’ve been doing it all wrong. It’s about realizing that everything has a purpose. In essence, what you think you did wrong was an opportunity to go deeper—to grow, to learn about yourself, and to love a little more. Greeting the big moments of the middle passage with curiosity, acceptance, and gratitude will catapult you toward a future that’s more authentic and aligned with purpose.
You’re not alone. I’m in it with you. We all are, whether we know it or not. Breathe. Smile. Encourage your fellow travelers and find the joy that’s right in front of you. Don’t miss the themes and theses that these chapters of life are meant to teach. They will make the next ones more meaningful and rich.
Many Blessings,
tyler
