Ahead of the Curve

My friend from Austin who recently visited thinks I'm too young, at 37, to be having a midlife crisis. I say, I was always ahead of the curve.

I found another interesting midlife piece today called "Mid-Life Crisis: It's Not Just for Men Anymore" by Laura Young, Blogcritics Magazine 7/22/05. Despite my financial losses, I did take a year to mull over this move, and think I took more of a risk than a gamble:

The fact that many people at mid-life have accumulated the skills, financial cushion and talent to make true consideration of career and lifestyle changes possible is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. The trickiest part for both the men and the women that I have spoken with appears to be in making the distinction between a "risk" and a "gamble."

Simply stated, a risk is calculated. You know you could lose, but you are able to take an educated guess as to what is at stake and how the loss could impact you. Having a "worst case scenario" in mind helps you to know what kind of safety net needs to be in place in order to make a mid-life transition possible. Analysis of the situation with a confidante or coach also helps an individual differentiate between psychological "heebie jeebies" and rational fears that need to be taken into consideration. Very difficult questions are faced directly and no actions are taken until careful consideration of the answers.

Despite all my past experience and giving it a pretty good go, it looks like the entertainment industry doesn't have use for me, but I am heartened, also, by this (from CareerJournal.com, "Midlife Crisis Becomes an Issue for More Women, by Sue Shellenberger):

Without exception, the women who made big midlife changes said that if given the chance to do it all again, they would embrace new undertakings even more wholeheartedly. Every one of the women who entered fully into midlife crisis, taking risks and exploring new opportunities, was enthusiastically glad that she had. Their only regrets were in failing to start sooner or to take more chances.