Dealing with midlife by reinventing yourself in midlife and beyond
The more I learn about dealing with midlife and experiencing my own adult development, while dealing with midlife, the more optimistic and excited I am about the potential for change and growth in my own life. There is now a flood of literature on the topic of midlife change and transition. The purpose of our web site, in fact, is to distill and present to you the best thinking on adult renewal and reinvention. I’d like to share with you the writing of one author, gerontologist Ken Dychtwald. He has written extensively about the issues facing the 60+ age group. But much of what he says can be applied to midlifers dealing with midlife challenges of their own,
dealing with midlife,
setting new goals, and looking ahead to what he calls the “power years".
Six Reasons to be Optimistic about the Future
According to his research findings, Dychtwald gives me - as someone over 60 - six reasons to be excited about the future:
1. I’ll live a longer and healthier life than my parents, or at least my father who died at age 77. I was pleased to learn that since I made it past fifty, I can expect to live until at least my mid-eighties.
2. I’ll benefit from a growing trend to cyclic patterns of work and leisure. Timothy Ferris in the 4-hour Work Week refers to the leisure aspect of the equation as a mini-retirement. It’s a notion I relish.
3. There are a growing number of role models to inspire me. For example, I was surprised to learn that Frank Lloyd Wright designed the famous Guggenheim in New York at age 91. On a personal note, I took part in a triathlon recently and the oldest participant was 80 years old. Now that’s impressive!
4. I’ll be wiser about what matters most, namely family and friends. Because of this “wisdom” I’ll attain a high level of happiness. I have to admit I was pretty happy seeing my three-year old granddaughter in England for the first time.
5. I’ll have new freedoms to pursue new challenges and passions, such as creating this website with Dr. Fred.
6. I’ll be open to personal growth and self-improvement. How true!
Personal growth and self-improvement
In dealing with midlife, I found that midlife coaching gave me new eyes to create my future. In working with the right coach, you get a view of yourself as a "whole" person- physically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. You look at the different domains of life- financial, well-being, career, leisure, relationships, personal/spiritual development, community and legacy.
For building self-esteem, I recommend the work of self-esteem experts Joan Breiner and Susyn Reeve. They offer step-by-step guidance on how to build self esteem, from recognizing the symptoms of low self esteem and understanding how the brain works to self esteem exercises, activities, and lessons to help bring about lasting change.
Retirement has Become Unretirement
Gillian Leithman, president of Directions Third Age Consultants Inc., helps people plan their retirement. In an interview with Stephanie Whittaker of the Gazette, she stated that "retirement isn’t like it used to be. Very few people are retiring from their primary jobs to do nothing. Baby boomers are not going to be happy with 30 years of nothing but leisure". They are dealing with midlife by setting new goals. Dr. Fred was also interviewed. He stated that we are "experiencing a boom in business start-ups and the 55-plus age group accounts for 15 per cent of these business start-ups, compared with 11 per cent in 1990" (click here for the Gazette article).
Finding a New Career that is Right for You
In an exclusive interview with Howard Stone about dealing with midlife and beyond, he talks about a new retirement model. Stone recommends innovative ways of fully engaging in life and working with a sense of mission, calling and purpose.
lively conversation between Dr. Fred and myself about dealing with midlife. To hear other interviews and to subscribe to our podcast visit our midlife crisis coping podcast page.
setting new goals, and looking ahead to what he calls the “power years".
refers to the leisure aspect of the equation as a mini-retirement. It’s a notion I relish. 
Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners help readers rediscover their personal needs or “drivers” as they call them and find fulfillment in mind, body and soul. They provide a fascinating list of 85 drivers ranging from accomplishments and accountability to visibility and worth. 
