You've ticked all the boxes – then realised it was the wrong checklist!

November 21, 2008
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I love stories about people making life transformations. I caught this one in the October edition of Madison Magazine (I know, I know, but I was travelling, it was late, and I’d found myself between books). The author, Sarah Wilson, uses the term ‘Thrisis’ – the mid-thirties crisis.

According to Wilson, thrisis is not just an early mid-life crisis because it is about looking forward. It might come when we reach success in our mid-30’s and realise that these ambitions we have been chasing were not our own. We stop and re-design a future for ourselves that is about more than a vicious cycle of making money to spend more money.

Sound familiar? It sure does to me.

So, what should you do if you find yourself in this situation? Here are some thingsyou might want to consider:

  1. Take stock. Take some time to try and understand what parts of your life are and are not working for you, and why. The worst thing would be to throw your life into chaos, only to find that you’ve created ‘same stuff…different wallpaper’ – a new situation, but the same old problems are still there.
  2. Create some thinking time. Taking time for regular reflection might be a skill someone forgot to teach you along the way. If your inner voice has been stifled by work and family obligations for several years, it might take some practise to hear it again.
  3. Get ready for change. Think about how you feel about change and uncertainty. These times of transition are great opportunities, but they can also be disruptive. Changing one thing can set in motion a number of other changes you hadn’t counted on.

Wilson closes her article with a quote from John F. Kennedy “The Chinese word for ‘crisis’ is composed of 2 characters: One represents danger and the other opportunity.”

Filed under: Change, Personal Development
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