As we go and grow through life we are faced with ever increasing challenges, each of which requires greater consciousness and more clarity. After mastering the stages of teething, separation, adolescence and young adulthood, we arrive at midlife wondering what is next. This is a time of taking stock and redefining goals which is of ultimate importance if you are wanting to live your life with more meaning now and in the future.
How you handle midlife directly impacts your development as you grow older. For you will grow older, that is if you are fortunate enough to live a long life. Jane Fonda, now 87, recently stated “anyone can be young. You have to be lucky to grow to be old.” When dealing with the transition of midlife, redefining goals, visioning your future as an older adult, it would serve you to also keep in mind also what you will need to have the life you want down the road.
What does all that entail? First, it requires you to take your attention off your physical body with its aches and pains, problems and limitations. Your physical form is not you even though it is an important part of your experience. Your true self is the soul nestled within that provides the means for your mobility and manifesting on a physical plane. Your body is the most visible but not the most important part of who you are. The most important self is that part that cannot be seen but must be sensed. It contains your essence, your values, the principles by which you live.
Your job on the physical plane is to keep this hidden part polished so at the right time it can become manifest and shine brightly. This real self can only coalesce in a meaningful way in midlife. The first part of your life is for formation, and your pre-midlife period is for manifestation of that formation. Midlife is a time of the full blossoming of your hidden higher self. This is the apex from which starts the decline of the body as it marches towards its ultimate expiration date.
Therefore, each of us must strive to be as conscious as possible for as long as possible in order to reach our apex in midlife with the higher goal of using our life skills productively for the highest good. As more and more people wake up to this calling, together, we can create a shift that supports each of us individually and the world as a collective.
-Shulamit
Shulamit Sofia, MSW, is the author of “From Oy to Joy: a soul journey towards making the best of your life for the rest of your life” and “Climbing the Sacred Ladder: Your Path to Love, Joy, Peace and Purpose.” The first is a perfect holiday gift for the elders in your life and the second will serve you on the journey broadly outlined above.