Here are two quotes on finding meaning at mid-life from leading psychologist and author, James Hollis. His books, The Middle Passage and The Eden Project are two great resources for those embarking on finding meaning during the second half of life. I strongly recommend reading them.
"Despite the blandishments of popular culture, the goal of life is not happiness but meaning. Those who seek happiness by trying to avoid or finesse suffering will find life more and more superficial. Life is not a problem to be solved but a series of engagements with the cosmos in which we are asked to live as fully as we can manage."
"In the second half of life, the questions become: 'Who, apart from the roles you play, are you? What does the soul ask of you? Do you have the wherewithal to shift course, to deconstruct your painfully achieved identity, risking failure, marginalization and loss of collective approval?' No small task." ~ James Hollis, Ph.D.
In my office in downtown Toronto, I work with many individuals in therapy asking these very questions and searching for greater meaning and purpose. This search is a sure sign of health, for asking the questions means one is willing to cast off the old and take on the callings of the soul.
