Quarter life crisis vs. Mid life crisis

So, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is in her early 30's and she was telling me all about the quarter-life crisis that she had gone through when she was just 25....about the anguish she felt about not knowing what she wanted to do with her life.   

And I was trying to think back to that time to remember if I had felt the same.  I remember going through the whole "what will I major in?" anxiety for sure.   Psychology ended up being my thing--turns out studying human behavior and optimizing performance has always been interesting to me.

But the way she described her crisis was more than just anxiety--it was full on melt-down mode...paralyzing.  She ended up making a drastic decision and changing her career course--not once but three times.  She's now a successful entrepreneur--making over 7 figures!  I'd say that "crisis" paid off!

You often hear the millenial generation being described as flaky and just doing their own thing but I think there's something powerful in going through that deep questioning at such a young age.  You build up a resiliency and moxie to do anything...to BE anything.

When I work with women who are going through a "midlife crisis", they are having these same questions but there is added complexity to it.   Their questions aren't simply "what do I want to do with my life?"  In addition they are asking questions like:

• is this all there is to my life?
• am I too old to do something different?
• have I made a mistake for the last 20-30 years?
• does my life have meaning?
• why am I not happy?
• what now?

There's the added pressure of feeling like the clock is ticking and mortality--which seemed so far away 20 years earlier--has started to become a real thing.
These questions are amplified if you are a high-achiever who is used to accomplishing a LOT and knowing what to do!

As women over 40, our wisdom might be coming with age, but we can learn something from the millenials.   And it's NEVER too late.  I like to see the midlife "crisis" as simply a midlife "wake up call".   And being awake is beautiful!
The reality is that clock is going to tick on by regardless of whether you decide to do anything different or not so if you've asked any of those questions above, I want to invite you to start by asking some new questions...and with pure curiosity:

• I wonder what I could do with my life now?
• I wonder if I need to learn some new skills?  If so, I wonder where I could learn those?
• I wonder what the wisdom and skills I've gained in the last 20-30 years can benefit my next move?  And benefit others?
• What would I love to be known for?  What do I want my life to mean?
• What would I do if I chose to BE happy?
• what now?

The only difference between that millenial and you is that you've developed different habits and you might need to develop some new ones.    

I'd love to hear your thoughts!   And if this is speaking to YOU and you need help mapping this out, let's chat:  www.ConnectwithBeth.com 
Don't put it off any longer!