After turning 40 this year, I started questioning my decisions and looking back on life: Have I done what I said I would? Did I accomplish my goals? Where did the last 40 years go? Am I where I thought I would be? Some call it a midlife crisis; instead, I call it a midlife reflection.
I noticed a pattern during these moments of reflection. So much has happened – amazing trips, career stories, friendships, heartbreaks, opportunities and memories. There also are regretful moments, and I think to myself, oh goodness, I wish I could have done that differently.
However, there is one prominent regret that I cannot run from: My mind has always been elsewhere, no matter what I was doing or where I was at the time.
More than 20 years of my life was consumed with heavy amounts of educational and industrial learning, with trying hard to connect the dots of what was learned in college to the career I was trying to master, with using problem-solving skills and perceived expertise to strongly suggest what others should do to fix that issue or who should change their behavior.
But I missed something critical – the opportunity to be fully present.