Midlife Crisis?! - Thriving After Forty
Midlife, the next chapter, the second mountain, the last half… call it what you want, but please, stop cringing, and please stop telling the tired story that life is over!
I hear it time and time again in regards to every aspect of life: once you hit 40, it’s all downhill from there. The only thing sad and tired about life in the forties is this mindset!
If you’re like me, you know it’s time to ditch this story and embrace the real truth about life after 40—it’s a life of empowerment, purposeful energy, excitement, and authentic alignment.
“Life really does begin at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research.”
– Carl Jung
And I couldn’t agree more!
The years of “research” were great. My 20’s and 30’s were a whirlwind of non-stop action, between marriage, starting a family, work, and socializing. I lived a lot, and consequently, I learned a lot about myself. I gathered invaluable “data” about who I am, what I value, and where I want to invest my time and energy.
But it wasn’t until my forties that I felt the courage, self-awareness, and desire to actually live those truths.
And that’s exactly what’s so precious and so powerful about life after forty—you finally have the courage to acknowledge your personal truths, and then to live by them!
Before forty, courage often shows up as ambition, experimentation, or building the foundation of your life. After forty, that courage shifts. It becomes intentional, refined, meaningful, and far more connected to your authentic self.
Midlife is not a crisis.
It’s an awakening, a time of enlightenment.
Illusions fade, wisdom rises, and truths come to light… BUT only if you choose to acknowledge and embrace them instead of resisting them.
I see so many people panicking about the physical, emotional, or mental changes that accompany midlife. We know that self-love will take us a lot farther than self-judgement. So instead of living in constant dread, fear, and worry, imagine greeting those changes with curiosity, love and compassion.
So how do we embrace this second act? Here are the pillars I’ve used in my own life, and with my clients, for midlife empowerment.
The Non-Negotiables at 40, and beyond:
Responsibility
Your life is yours, fully and completely. Only you can create what you want, and no one else is going to do it for you. This requires full responsibility for yourself, your desires, your effort, and your commitment. This is truly YOUR time.
Clarity
We can only recognize opportunities if we are clear about what we want and what’s important to us. It’s essential to get really clear about your desires and values, without any apology or justification. Clarity is one of the most powerful tools that we have—only you can determine what matters, what doesn’t, and what you are no longer willing to tolerate.
Honor & Respect
Treat yourself with the utmost love and compassion as you honor and respect your physical and emotional body. For me, this means ensuring that everything I take in or surround myself with is rooted in quality. This includes, the environment around me, the foods I eat, my sleep, and my movement. It’s not about perfection, but a devotion to what truly nourishes my life.
Perspective
The stories we tell ourselves shape the lives we live. In order to fully embrace the beauty of the forties and beyond, we need to refine our perspective. It’s time to leave behind any victim mentality and see life with fresh eyes. We are at a vantage point of wisdom, with the experiences of half a lifetime behind us. And we now have courage and clarity to guide us forward.
With these strategies and powerful mindset shifts, our forties are something to move towards with confidence and excitement.
Midlife is not a crisis, it's an invitation to refine, elevate, and realign life with who you truly are. It's a season to live from a place of truth, courage, and contentment.
Photo: @behzadphotography
