| A mid-life crisis happens when you reach your goals. When we are young we strive for success. We go to college, get a job, climb the career ladder. Ostensibly we do it to afford fancy houses, cars, motorbikes or whatever, but we can't afford those things so we strive for success. Then one day we achieve the goal. We have a wife, kids, house, car - we're earning well, and have cash left over. We are, objectively, successful. We have reached the goal. But we discover we're not satisfied. Hence the crisis. Some get a new wife. Some buy the toys they always wanted. But that also doesn't satisfy, the glow wears off, and we're back to searching. At this point the goals shift from success to significance. You want to leave a mark, to impact the lives of others. Maybe mentoring. Maybe uplifting others. Maybe charity. Maybe volunteering. And so on. Sadly, of course, there are those who don't progress. Some chase "success" forever, alienating people along the way. For some no measure of success is enough. Some find contentment early - a balance between relationships and work. They tend to miss the "crisis" since their path switched from "success" to "significance" early. In the long run people satisfy more than things. |