We’re in the Midst of a The Global Mid-Life Crisis

One thing this Covid-19 Pandemic has taught us is that life is short, and life is fragile. 18 months later (and still in it!) Everything has gone topsy-turvy. Some have lost everything, and even the most stable have had to deal with having 2 adults and a gaggle of kids all zooming from different rooms for work and school. 

We couldn’t see the friends we always hung out with, go to our usual restaurants, and extra-curricular activities disappeared–at least the ones that couldn’t be done on zoom. 

And with all of that time to think, and enough energy to put into things that matter: a reckoning on racial injustice, the impending doom of climate change, and the stark realization that healthcare systems (and politics) all over the world (and especially in the US) are broken AF.  

As cities and states (and small island countries!) slowly emerge from the darkness, as schools reopen, and people start slowly heading back into their offices, and socializing becomes an option again, it begs the question: 

Why was I doing that again? 

Many of us are taking a good hard look at the work, activities, and people we filled our lives with, and asking “Am I living the life I was meant to be living?” 

Am I living up to my potential? 

How do we know? And how do we get there? And if we get there, will we be happier? 

I’ve been fascinated with this worldwide reckoning for a while now; so much so, that I’m writing a book about it. And apparently, I’m not the only one thinking about it–in an email this morning, media personality Marie Forleo called it “The Great Reassessment,” and I couldn’t agree more.

From rethinking our careers to wondering if, perhaps, home-schooling really is the way to go for your “learns best at their own pace” kid…

From wanting to spend more time working on local or national social justice initiatives to no longer wanting to spend quite so much time running from one after-school activity to the next, people are seeing their lives through clear “Pre-Pandemic” and “Post-Pandemic” lenses. 

Of course, it’s not all about what we want to change or give up. There is also the reinforced dedication to the things we had taken for granted and truly missed. Attending a play, performing in a certain hall, or with certain people. Perhaps your “every-once-in-a-while” hobby was the thing that kept you sane and happy in the darkest months, and you see the importance of carving out space for it no matter how busy things get. 

In talking with friends, colleagues, and clients, I’m hearing a lot about the stress of uncertainty. They’re not quite sure which direction to go in because they’re not sure which direction the world is going in. 

I would challenge you to ignore all of that, and just focus on YOU. When you close your eyes and imagine the best version of yourself, what do you see? WHO do you see? What work are you doing? What kinds of relationships do you have? Where are you helping? What are your hobbies? 

As we emerge into “Post-Pandemic” life, no one is the same as they were “Pre-Pandemic”. Now is your chance to be whoever you want to be. Almost like a 2nd chance. The answers to the questions above will be different for each and every one of us. Remarkable, isn’t it? Almost 8 Billion people in the world, and each and every one of us has a different version of reaching our potential.  

What’s your version? What can you do to celebrate that version today?

-Kate

P.S. Can’t quite imagine that “full potential version?” Grab this (free) worksheet that will help you gain clarity around what you were meant to offer the world and who you’d like to serve.

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