As I was preparing to launch Instigate the Change I researched synonyms for “midlife” and the results were not encouraging.. Middle-aged was the only acceptable phrase. After that, it was all downhill. A few tolerable phrases included mature, maturing, full-fledged adult, full-grown and grown-ass man/woman. The rest of the synonyms were unacceptable: grizzled, oldish, older, aging, the wrong side of 40, and past one’s prime. One author tried to put a positive spin on mid-life using the term “chronologically gifted.”
The lack of positive phrases for those of us in midlife is surprising and disheartening. My research reinforced what I once believed: once you get to midlife, life is a downhill slide towards the grave. I struggled with this thought when I turned 50. In my mind, death wasn’t far off. My next big birthday would be 60, then 70, and then… death. However, I now know this isn’t true. Reflecting on my 40s I realized that I accomplished more in in that decade than I did in previous decades. And as I enter my 50s, I am nowhere near done.
Many of us enter midlife and think,
I guess this is my life and there’s not much I can do about it.
The result is resignation: we are resigned to live out our days settling for the status quo, half-lived life. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instigate the Change is a revolution for those of us in midlife who are tired of the status quo and no longer want to live a resigned life. I don’t want to live passively, accepting a life where I sacrifice the hopes and dreams of my younger self. I don’t want to let entropy take over as it drags me kicking and screaming towards the grave. Instead of a life of resignation, I plan to live a life of transformation. You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but you can teach a mid-lifer new tricks.
What are the hopes and dreams you had in your 20s and 30s that you have since shelved, sacrificed, or forgotten? What did you dream of doing or becoming before all the demands and responsibilities of life overwhelmed you? Did you want to become an author? Run a marathon? Is there another job you dreamed of doing? A degree you want to receive? Weight you want to lose? Skills you want to learn? A business you want to start? Or a book you want to write? This list is endless.
It is not too late. It’s only too late when we’re dead. We don’t have to accept a life of resignation when transformation begins with one habit. Why accept a life you’ve settled for when you can create the life you’ve always wanted? Why live a status quo life when you can live the life you’ve always dreamed about?
Instigate the Change was created to empower us mid-lifers (and anyone else what wants to join us) to instigate positive change in our lives so we can live the extraordinary life we’ve always wanted.
