It was July 22nd, Saturday, my absolute favorite day of the week. I left the house around 7.30 a.m. to run errands, preceded by some me-time, listening to podcasts, having a coffee and a croissant, and reflecting on life. Bliss.
My podcast list is dominated by political shows which, for some weird reason, relax me. This time though, I opened Spotify and chose to listen to Chasing Life, hosted by CNN’s Sanjay Gupta. An episode caught my eye, on the myth of the mid-life crisis. Having recently turned 45 and resigned from a large corporation to launch my own PR consultancy, I was craving listening to people who offered a different view on mid-life, positioning it not as a crisis, but as a time of opportunity and transformation. Sanjay was joined by his brother Suneel (a millennial) and they discussed the often unexpected joys of mid-life for 37 minutes. Once my coffee cup was empty and flaky crumbs were the only food left, I reflected on what mid-life meant for me, the recently (self-) appointed CEO of my own business.
Were there a-ah moments (wink to Oprah W)? Probably not. Was it beneficial to move the thinking from my mind to paper? Absolutely. Deciding to take the plunge and venture into entrepreneurship is nothing short of daunting, but incredibly exciting too. Below you’ll find my main insights, written between creds development, website tweaking, and social media planning. Ah! And pantone choosing (yes, I did that too!).
- No rosy-colored lenses but no doom either: keep it real and interiorize the fact that every life – and with it, every story – is different – and you have the power to make yours a good one. Allow yourself time to reevaluate your life choices, goals, and priorities. The person you were at 25, or 35 can pivot and beautifully morph into a new identity.
- “Obligation” to try and permission to fail: I dislike the word “obligation”, but we all have one life, and one life only, a short one. There IS an obligation to get out there and try. Try a new hobby, try a new line of work, try this self-employment journey, try addressing that family situation that you’ve been avoiding for years. You are allowed to succeed and allowed to fail, in equal amounts. And, if you fail, there’s a strong chance you’ll do it fast and will come out of it stronger than when you started.
- Chase inspiration and seek to inspire: speak to as many people as you can. As so many of us are living longer lives, the sample of mid-lifers still pivoting and changing is quite large. Choose a diverse sample, gender, industries, and personal experiences. Speaking to friends, mentors, and former colleagues will give you the fabric to form your inspiration quilt which you’ll be able to offer others seeking to know more about your own experiences.
- Stretch your arms and grab your purpose: I love working in communications and Public Relations, especially in healthcare. I also love teaching English to adults, second language learners who often need English to thrive but also to survive, in some dire cases. My journey of creating my own company allowed me to take a few steps forward, hold the hand of my purpose, and bring it closer to me so that I can lay my head on its shoulder and ask for advice every. single. day.
Photo credit: Frederick Marchall