We hear many quotes and sayings about the truth.
“The truth is bitter”
“Truth is better than lies”
“Truth endures. Truth hurts and that’s okay”
The question is
This article considers the truth about career decline and empty nest transitions.
First, let’s talk about the truth about your career at midlife.
You may have reached your career peak too early and you have timed out yet you are running through the motions.
The question is how do you receive this feedback or how will you come to tell yourself this truth?
One of the things we need to do for ourselves at midlife is to open up more gracefully for feedback, create relationships that can tell us the truth without fear or judgement. The facts of the matter may not comfort you but you can change the fact into another set of truth by changing the situation.
Truncated careers at midlife requires a strong personal discipline to jumpstart. You need to re-educate yourself to seek new careers, opportunities, new locations or longer commuting. You may also need to change your mindset, attitude, and adjust your personality to match the new direction.
Again, the truth about the empty nest family transition at midlife may be discomforting. Your children are going away for good and you had built all your life and schedule around your children, but now they have created their own schedules and you seem to have zero control or influence over their choices and ideas. What next?
The truth is, your children have become independent human beings with choices and opportunities globally. You can't control or protect them forever, they need to find their own feet, experience life’s challenges and win or lose the battles. You need to come to terms with this natural course of events.
Coming to terms with this truth requires you talking to yourself and comforting yourself about the new realities. Knowing that if you don’t do it, you may begin to experience high impact conflicts and love loss from your children leading to social and family distancing.
Will the truth comfort you?
Some truths may be uncomfortable but it is crucial to embrace these truths as you navigate through the transformative period of midlife.
This is the time to mature and come to terms with your emotions about the truth. Let the facts or truth be a catalyst for self-discovery, leading you towards a more purposeful and fulfilling life.
Our dear MLE family, find the strength and courage to confront the uncomfortable truths that may arise during your midlife adventure. It is okay to be afraid of the truth but remember:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers fear.”
Nelson Mandela
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