What is it about being in your 40s? There are movies about finding yourself again; there are books written about what to do in the second half of your life; and there are many sports cars sold to people at their mid-point who may be trying to capture some satisfaction or status.

Time is a funny thing. We can spend the first 40 years being oblivious to what may be important in life. All of a sudden, when we are in our forties, the light comes on, and something says “time may be almost up, so you better to do something important.” Why? To be remembered, maybe. To have your life mean something, probably.

It seems that we just want a few things at this mid-point.

  • We want respect.
  • We want to be doing something meaningful.
  • We want happiness in our life.
  • We want comfort in who we are.

Today, it seems that respect is more difficult to achieve. Work has been the center of where people try to get respect. However, with the focus on bottom lines, longevity is shorter than the past. In the world of 24 hour news cycles, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately is constant. Work is not the place to get respect, at least the satisfying kind of respect.

How about doing something meaningful? This should be easy, right? It takes opportunity and initiative to do something meaningful, but it takes gumption to make it happen. Getting out of the chair or your comfort zone is the only way to make this happen.

Happiness is in your hands. What a crock! There are many people involved in being happy. Your family, your friends, your co-workers, etc. all need to be happy for you to be happy. If one component of your network is offline from happiness, then all are impacted. It is challenging to synchronize happiness within the circle of your life.

Do you like who you are? It is rare to find people who are comfortable in their skin. I guess this is why the mid-point changes happen.

The four elements are important at all times in one’s life, but you become more aware of them during your mid-point. The key to “skin-tight” comfort is to take who you are and listen to the spirit inside of you. Let that spirit work within you to do good things in the external world. Getting “skin-tight” comfort probably means getting out of your comfort zone and put into action what the spirit is trying to tell you.

Instead of focusing on shopping, eating, new cars, new friends… focus on doing, using your gifts in ways which can truly have an impact.

The forties are frustrating. You feel like you should have done more and be respected more, and you see the grains of sand in equal amounts within the hour-glass. Don’t let time beat you down, but listen and learn. Really listen this time to the spirit within you, and take your life up a notch.