Bring It On!

No, not the teen cheerleader movie (which I love, by the way).  But, my life.  Or shall I say, my mid-life crisis.  Some time last year I discovered that I was grossly unhappy, or more likely dissatisfied.  I made some attempts to do something about it, really just move from one job location to another, but that was unsuccessful.    And despite that I continued on hopeful.  Until...something changed.

My grandmother died.  And upon her death I remembered a lot of conversations over the years she and I had, which then prompted memories of conversations I have had with my father and stepfather.  I began to ask myself what I was doing (not politely though, the truck driver in me came out).  I was asking myself because I realized that I was no longer unhappy or dissatisfied, but miserable.  And once I began thinking about it I was honest about why.

• I don't recognize who I am.  I am not the same open, kind, and upbeat (there's a reason why I was known as the perky girl) person I used to be.  Sure age can change some of that, but not to this degree.


• I have been compromising for far too long.  I have very strong personal and professional beliefs that I have been pushing aside to appease others.  To the point where I have become the negative environment (see above).


• It's 5 o'clock somewhere.  Yes, really.  This is more than a song about drinking; it is a way of life and my stepfather lived by it.  Enjoy what you do and make sure it allows you to do the things you love.  Um, yeah...I got a passport some-odd years ago and have yet to use it.


• You can do anything you want, just put your mind to it.  That has always been my father's advice.  I bet if you asked my father today, 'miserable cow' would not be what he had in mind when he said that to me time and again.

In talking to friends and family I know that I am not alone.  There are a bunch of us in our thirties grossly dissatisfied to the point we feel as if we are losing our ever-lovin' minds. Do you want to do something meaningful and feel challenged (or do you feel undervalued and stifled)? Do you feel like you are not living up to your potential?  Do you feel like you could be doing something more or more important?  (via Marcia Reynolds) If so, I'm happy to tell you that you too are experiencing a mid-life crisis.

Why happy?  Because first, you are not alone.  Second, what an awesome opportunity to be the best possible you!  And to do it, by listening to yourself!  Do you know why George Lucas is George Lucas?  He had a vision.  He did everything possible to ensure that vision became a reality.  He knew what he was capable of doing and never once listened to those who said differently (the haters).  He believed in himself.  Steve Jobs's story isn't all that dissimilar.  And I am willing to bet that neither is Bill Gates's.  Don't we all owe it to ourselves to live the same way?

If a mid-life crisis means honoring yourself, I say bring it on.  If a mid-life crisis means following your heart, I say bring it on.  If a mid-life crisis means believing in myself when no one else does, then bring it on.  If a mid-life crisis means knowing another's impossibility is my possibility, then bring it on! If a mid-life crisis means that I will no longer tolerate unkindness, then bring it!  That is why, beginning today, I am no longer experiencing a mid-life crisis.  I am on a quest.  A quest to re-claim my identity.  A quest to fill the craving for my potential.  A quest to be the best possible me.