Turn "midlife crisis" into an opportunity

I've been through many so-called "crises" or challenges during my life: health problems of my daughter when she was a child, numerous job and career changes, job firing, loss and eventual recovery of my American citizenship, divorce, death of both parents, huge debt - just to name a few. Rather than viewing each as a midlife crisis, you can view each challenge as an opportunity for midlife development. I take the position that a crisis is not unique to my midlife; it can happen at any stage of my adult development. What I and most mid lifers experience is a midlife transition which is an internal psychological adaptation to change. Change is external, situational or physical, such as male declining sexual powers, menopause, retirement, and the empty nest. Male and female midlife crisis is not common, despite the media hype surrounding the use of these terms. You can turn "midlife crisis" into an opportunity: - View it as a cultural story that is made up, as Dr. Fred Horowitz, specialist in midlife development at Happiness-After-Midlife.com, asserts. - Think of it as challenge to stressful events, as I done in my own life. - Reject the conventional thinking - actually only a quarter of older than 40 report having a "midlife crisis." - Use it as a tool for constructing meaning in your life. See it as a time to catch up to where you would like to be or expected to be when you were younger. - Face it head-on as a psychological turning point. - Take it as an opportunity to look at yourself, those closest to you, and your life situation in fresh ways. - Re-examine yourself and create significant change and even transformation in your life. By leading life in a more courageous way and taking on challenges, you can grow, be more productive, live life with spark and energy, enjoy yourself more, and offer service to others. You are responsible for your life, so take charge of it. In my e book,Take Charge of Midlife and Beyond: 52 Ideas and Activities for Dealing with Life's Challenges - Aging, Change, Financial Matters, and More!, I recommend journal writing as a way to create some space in your life and deepen your sensitivity by writing freely about something that sparks your interest. Here is an activity to engage in: Take 20 minutes to write about a stressful event in your own life or a fear you have. Describe it as fully as you. Write about how you dealt with. Then ask yourself how you could have dealt with it differently.