You have reached mid-life. The children are more independent, or maybe they have left the house. Perhaps you are feeling burnt out from the constant grind of the last twenty years. You are possibly experiencing daily aches and pains that used to be fleeting but now tend to take up permanent residence. Then there's that feeling. You're feeling a bit "blah" about life, your job or your place in the world. You want more but you're not sure where to go or what to do. Perhaps you're in a position to reinvent yourself and you have the time and luxury to think about designing the next half of your life. You want to do what you can to be the best version of yourself.
If you're anything like me you haven't found your "purpose" or your "passion". Not everyone will. I love my job and I love helping people but I don't feel as if it is my sole purpose. Less than twenty percent of people will have a passion. So what do the rest of us do to become the best possible version of ourselves. You are not the same person you were twenty years ago so the question is, "what do you want now"?
The world is full of interesting things. Now we have the time to be more aware of all the things we didn't used to notice. There was a speaker at the local library and someone doing a book signing at the book store near you. There is a local cafe or a downtown pub with an open mic night. There are service groups that need volunteers and support groups that need a helping hand. Talk to people in you community. Find out what's going on around you. Search out a book club, take music lessons or join a choir. Now is the time to reframe and reclaim your experience of life. Try stuff and repeat until you find something that interests and engages you. This is how we design a joyful life.
The thought of starting over can be scary. But the thought of arriving at the final destination and not experiencing a well-lived life is terrifying. The first half of our life is gone. Get curious about what else you want to experience, talk to others and try stuff, lots of stuff. There are many versions of you, all of which will result in a life well-lived.
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