This is the time during your mid-twenties to late thirties when you feel as if you are still waiting for your life to unfold despite having finished school for years. When you were younger, you have set your personal goals, and now, you begin to question if you have made the right decisions or chosen the right path towards self fulfillment in terms of identity, stability and even relationships. It is at this stage when you feel the pressure to find yourself, to be certain of what you will be doing from this day onwards which will make you established as an individual.
For most quarter-aged people, this quest of finding oneself is like a code that can never be deciphered. This article may not completely provide a solution but would help, at least, by suggesting small steps that you could take in dealing with this crisis.
Ask yourself and be aggressive
It’s true that taking other people’s advice, especially those who know you well, may help you in knowing what you want out of life. But if you examine closely, the words your friends or family speak are mainly based on their own experiences and may only work for them—but not for you! You are the only person who would know the answer. Instead of conducting surveys, listen intently to yourself. Perhaps write down the things you enjoy doing and then think of ideas on how to make a career or business out of them. If you already have one, instead of thinking that there is no room for growth, find ways to expand. With the advent of technology, opportunities are limitless. Grab these prospects and work on it.
It’s more than the money
The main reason why most people end up not doing what they’re meant to do is because people usually define a person’s success by looking at the material possessions—car, house, lots of money. This does not mean that it is okay to keep doing what you want even if you earn nothing from it. This simply means that the steps you’ll take and your life should not entirely depend and be measured on the salary or the potential business returns you would get. Financial rewards would naturally flow if you continue doing your best on what you do best.
Bank on resources
Looking at your accessible resources does not necessarily pose unwanted enforcement or limitation in what you ought to be doing. In fact, this could actually help you to avoid being spoiled for choice. If you don’t necessarily want to follow your parents’ footsteps, why not try to make a career out of a business that complements your family’s company? Example, if your mom has a flower shop and your expertise is into networking and management, why not venture into wedding coordination? You can utilize your skills while helping your loved ones boost their own too. This also gives you business models that you could follow to avoid unnecessary mistakes and loss.
Set a deadline
Life is too short to be spent on thinking and rethinking. Give it a week or two—plot out your options and do a little research about each one. Ask experienced people for an in-depth understanding of your considerations. You can also spend some time on healthy conversations with people from different age groups so you can keep discovering new ideas. If you took time and weighed your options well and still are not sure whether you’re making the right decision, look at the most viable path and take it. Start your journey to being successful right away!
Beware of comfort zones
The trick with comfort zones is that you’re too comfortable that you don’t notice or simply ignore the fact that there is something wrong. You might be in a job where you are under-utilized but you stick to it because of the employee benefits. You want to pursue a business move but are afraid to take risks. If you don’t like what you’re doing, it’s unfair to you and your employer for they’re paying for mediocrity. Don’t get stuck! Maximize and even exceed your potential by trying out and doing something new.
At this stage, you might feel and think that it is a must to have found yourself in terms of career or business and that you should be on your way to settling down. Consider the fact that each one has his or her own pace to keep up with. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and repeat the whole process for this makes you more learned and experienced. If in the middle, you get wound up in a situation outside your expertise, find the right people to help you and stay focused on what you are superb at.
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This article is so true! I can totally relate to this. To be successful in life, we should pursue excellence. We can only be excellent in our passion, in what we love to do. So it is just fitting to determine our passion and make it our profession and not just go with the trend. 🙂
I agree, sometimes we tend to think that what applies to other people will work with us when it really don’t. We forget about ourselves because we’re too comfortable to notice that were stuck into a lifeless job and we end up dragging ourselves to work everyday. All it takes is a little bit of courage, take the risk and find a job that will not only give you career growth but most of all personal growth.
Actually, I can’t relate with article but i learned a lot in terms of choosing the desired job. I can see many people complaining about their job, but still they go on with it. I hope that I could have a good start on this new journey of life.
I read an article similar to this in a medical journal here in the Philippines. They found that oftentimes the people who do things out of respect of their parents or loved ones wind up in quarter life crisis. Putting your heart in what you are doing or discovering your hearts desire and banking on it is one of the cornerstones in living a happy and fulfilled life.
I read this article that talks about the age quarters of a persons life and how could be able to full fill it. It will be successful or full of reroute before achieving real satisfaction. quarter life crisis could tell me my own life story. It could tell that we are the captain of our own ship. We have the steering wheel to manipulate it open our eyes to those opportunity and grab it.
The article is GREAT! As a woman in a stage wherein I’m jump starting into a new career, the blog gave me an overview of what I need to consider. Things I need to prioritize is a bit clearer now. =)
Career-wise, the midlife stage is where we can practically do anything. Advice is good but to avoid this midlife crisis, we should choose to do what we can, what we must and what we love. Also, we should be where we would grow, where we would be happy and where we would matter.
this one hits me hard. it’s a knock off!Indeed, we all succumbed to this quarter life crisis which sometimes you feel you are walking on a crooked path that leads you to nowhere. You have so many goals but you feel you are far far from achieving those one that you end up tired of waiting it to happen. But that’s life! You just need to be patient and be strong for all the trials to come.
This article says it all. Since I am still adjusting with the real world, I completely sure that this article just slapped into my face what I am actually currently experiencing. And it is true that at this stage of my life, confusions are visible everywhere since I am not quite sure of what I want to happen with my life.
This article says it all. Since I am still adjusting with the real world, I completely sure that this article just slapped to my face what I am actually currently experiencing. And it is true that at this stage of my life, confusions are visible everywhere since I am not quite sure of what I want to happen with my life.
The writer of this article is also right that even a lot of people are giving us advices on what we should do, still, the effect is different if we took their advice based on their experiences. I guess it is up to us to decide well on what to do with our life by setting goals we want to achieve before we even leave this planet. That we should be happy with what to do to become more successful and more contented with our life.
Our parents helped us make our first steps, the sports we get into, the degree we should take up in college, but nonetheless, they are just there to ensure we make the step. It does not necessarily mean they are making the step for us. We listen to their suggestions and still have that independence to think on our own.
It is scary, especially for me. I took up two different degrees with so much promise while in the Uni, and when it was time for me to be unleashed to the professional world, there is someone better and much more achieved. I think we should just make use of the tolls we were equipped with and head on to the work force with so much pride and positivity towards the goal we set.
I can totally relate to this blog post and I totally agree with it. Reality Bites and at 25, I feel the urge to find myself and do a lot of soul-searching for a career that I want to pursue. I have graduated 3 years ago and even passed the Board Exam for Nurses but I choose not to practice it yet because I am still trying to find myself. And now I feel that a job on Customer Service is a career that I want to pursue because I always wanted to serve others. I believe that a degree in college is a stepping stone for us to be successful but it doesn’t mean that we will not be successful if we do not practice our profession. We can be successful if we choose to be successful and if we believe in ourselves and our heart screams for success. There is no way that we will not reach it, even age nor quarter life crisis will not prevent us from dreaming and reaching success.
This article does not need to be in bold letters to catch my attention. Sometimes I wonder what is the definition of success. Before I entered the call center industry I was told about negative things however, I dig into myself and found out that this job is very much applicable for me. I have regrets not to practice my profession though however, as I have my volunteers I came to realize that this is what I want. Being successful now would mean contentment on the things that I do every day and happiness that I felt every time I go to work. I don’t want to be a nurse however I want to be the jack of all trades, a well rounded person. I want to do things also aside from what others expected me to do in that way it is not hard for me to reach my success. The success I want for my life, not the success others want me to be.
I perfectly can relate to this article. I’ve been feeling pretty down in the dumps lately. Everything in my life seems to be going all wrong. I’ve had lots of questions and I wish someone had all the answers. Unfortunately no one is going to just give me those except myself. I strongly agree to the author’s take that someone should work not out of money or possessions but instead out of passion. When you work out of love, zeal and devotion happiness and contentment follows. With this kind of attitude you can survive the painstaking quarter life crisis and you can attain that sense of fulfillment everyone is aspiring for.
This is a good read. I can relate with this blog as I am part of the demographic. I too have concerns regarding with this quarter life crisis. It’s like facing a blank wall and having a strap around your body. With a question in mind… what’s next. But the point that struck me most is the the line “IT’S MORE THAN THE MONEY” financial rewards would really come when you truly enjoy with what you are doing. This blog really helps out people who are pressured on this crisis. It’s not about the destination alone, it’s the journey that counts sometimes. You will bank on with what you have experienced. And you spring board from it.
This blog post is very sad to think when relating it to ourselves but it is true. Sometimes we need to read such an eye-opening thoughts or article like this for us to realize the reality of being a self struggling human being and weigh things why we end up still struggling despite of effort being exerted. The feeling that the world is against us during our quarter life crises is quite normal, but let us asks back our self. Are we giving our best shot to every opportunity that comes along our way? Am I still happy working? Those are just few questions we should ponder and give answers when we are doing something or if we are dragging our self to work every day just to finish our daily routinely clerical work at office. We should always bare it to our mind that we are the author of our own pace. Planning without using of a proper tool in applying every task is just doing with nothing, just ending up with another struggle. We also have a tendency of riding on a ship and jump off to another when it is already sinking and end up the same. Why don’t be a captain of your own ship and have your own journey to your success.
Well, I sincerely accept the fact that this article caught me freezing. With the past six years of banking my experience I still end up now looking for the best that may give me better future. The only strength that I am holding now is my inspiration to give my family an outstanding future to behold. And giving my best shot to what will be I might encounter. It is not yet the end of the road, life really has its due time we should make everything the most out of it, enjoy while fulfilling your dreams. Serve your purpose passionately and with love into it.
yea i agree, all of us are in constant pursuit of happiness that is why we experience this quarter life crisis. if you feel that you are into it now, i think the best way to do is to re evaluate our own mind setting, by doing this we can reset our mind and be open to opportunities which we perceived can lead us to happiness, in order to execute this, we should not be afraid to compromise our comfort zone, if we feel uneasy along the way, we just have to remind ourselves that we belong the modern kind of species. that is, we have the capacity to adapt to any kind of situation, and the capacity to evolve to any kind of environment.
upon reading the article,it made me realize a lot of things.even though I’m still in my early 20’s,it reminded me that life is to short to be spent on thinking and rethinking on what we really want in life and what would really make us happy.As human beings to feel this quarter life crisis is just normal.what we humans need to do is to reevaluate ourselves,know what we really want, accept the facts and adjust on the things we need to adjust too, for us to achieve the primary goal that we have in life.
Based on this article, I come up with the realization that “Quarter Life Crisis” is also equated to word WANDERING. Wandering means having no concrete direction in life. In my opinion, people experience quarter life crisis because of the inability to make the right decisions in life which lead to doing something that has no meaning and purpose. Choosing the right decision is pretty hard but not choosing any is worst. This makes people stagnant and wander. Thus, the article entails that if you want to MOVE FORWARD, Don’t be afraid to take a step and Go for your goal!!! Plan ahead. Of course, plan is useless if you will not a set a deadline. Through this, life will be meaningful for you have set aims and objectives in life. Let’s be grateful that we have the gift to CHOOSE. Let us not waste it for staying in the comfort zone and just wait what will happen to our Life. Let us make it happen and Let us all start it RIGHT NOW for Time is ticking. Thanks for article. This makes me feel motivated.
I have heard more about the mid-life crisis that people talk about on their forty’s but I never thought that a Quarter life is something that I should also be concerned about. So, thanks to this article for making me understand what I am going through right now and appreciate my decisions, my faults, my shortcomings, and of course, my excitement about the future. Well if you read between the lines, you’ll realize that there’s nothing more important in life than setting a goal and if we mean goal, we mean time-frame and if we mean time-frame, we mean a productive life. Before reading this article, I thought I’m a ship sailing without direction. This article made me realize that if all human beings are ships, then we are actually going in the right direction but are just experiencing uncertainties due to this crisis that we just need to understand. Let’s keep on sailing!
A tough stage in life indeed, but tougher I’d say if you have a family. Your choice doesn’t only affect your life but also your family. Life has a lot to offer. Take it very seriously you’ll end up drowning in stress. Take it for granted and you’ll grow old needy. Take it easy and enjoy then you’ll see a meaningful life. If I may borrow this from peppervirtualassistants.com “Work Smarter not Harder.” Now that’s a good perspective in life!
Honestly, I wasn’t really aware that I’m suffering from this so called “quarter life crisis” until I read the article. This gave me a new point of view. It’s not easy though to follow what is written here but It is surely a start to change on some of the flaws that I have been unconsciously doing. One thing that really sticks to me, that I learned from the article is that “TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GROW AS A PERSON, EVEN ON THE UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES”.
absolutely agree. i can say that this quarter life crisis applies to me and peers like me. right now, the major issue for young adults like me is the stability versus doing what we are suppose to do. we are in the stage of dilemma from what we want to do, how to start it, and what to do to have it. this gives a real mount of confusion, pressures, stress and fears but in the brighter side, it gives us all the opportunity to try something else apart from what we know that already existed in us. this crisis will eventually resolve when we realize that we have to decide what we want to do, where we want to be right now, then we start to act on that something, try the limited capabilities that we can do by exploring and trying things we want to do, taking aside the fears of that risk. by that, in the end, we will soon realize that we already succeed, and then we became the better version of ourselves.
When I finish read this article, I was thinking for the wealth, I also realize that sometimes we made decision that we think it is best for use, for our future. When we enter college, some friends older than you, and parents says-we must have to decide what course we want in college, of course for our prospective, but then after the graduation some are taking hard to get a job. We just want to pursue this desire because we appreciate that others have made their job/life stable. Nevertheless, we forgot to follow our wants and our passion in life which is better way to make use fully satisfied.
For me as I finish read the article, true wealthiness is to take time to do our passion. It is true that we Filipinos or maybe other people are afraid to fail, like in terms of business sometimes we are frighted to invest for the reason that the money will never bounce back to use. In fact Bill Gates and Steve Jobs didn’t finish school, and who they are now?they are the top billionaires in the world.
This article is the best example for use to refresh our mindset and think of best way to do in our lives.
This article is wonderful. It made me re-think or re-consider my future plans and re-evaluate the issues and events in the past. Middle life crisis is like a tug of war between choosing a career or settling down and raise a family. We wouldn’t know in advance if we are on the right path until we get there. However, I always believe that as long as we do things because of the right reasons, it is more likely to be successful. Good luck to all single and unemployed middle aged people on our decision making process.
Wow! This is like a harsh clanging bell to my ears. One thing is for sure – I’m going through this crisis right now. Checking the symptoms of this predicament, I just diagnosed myself. But thanks to this article, I now got a shrewd idea to cure myself. Still, not so bad.
Being optimistic is one of my strengths I may say. I was always certain of what I want to do and what I want to happen with my life. But lately all I feel was nostalgia to those days where everything was so clear to me. As I conquer the real world after college, I’m learning each day that things was not the way I imagined them to be, leaving me uncertain and skeptical with life.
For the past months, I had made decisions which had led me to serious turmoil. It made me so afraid to take another step again. So lately, I was just living each day waiting my life to unfold in front of me. This article is a wake-up call for me. I’m feeling a great relief now knowing that I’m not alone in this crisis and there’s certainly something I can do to get over this. Now, I’m ready to move forward and take the risk that comes with it. We might commit mistakes but it will also make us learn and experience of how stuff really goes. Each one of us has our own pace to keep up with things and it’s certainly not a race. I may not have achieved much right now but I know my shining moment will come in the right time. As long as I believe I can and take action to get there. After all, “Nothing happens unless something moves”.
Wish me well 🙂
well, this article is informative and realistic as well. this would open people’s eyes on what they want to do and have. nice job! 🙂
This article is so true to me. It’s not what the company gives you that matters most for you to stick with them, but what you can do to help your company grow. Their success is your success too. You should love what you are doing otherwise, if you don’t and just keep an eye only with what you can get from the company without you do what you should do, you’ll end up unhappy and unproductive.
This article is like a reality check for me, I sometimes I wonder now that I have finished school, what’s next? What’s my raison d’etre? And I ask myself, what do I want? It’s an unending question, people may sometimes give me advises, that I should pursue a career or a job that gives out a huge paycheck. My cousin always tells me that I should already do a business and generate a huge sum. But life, isn’t just about money, it is about loving what we do.
Success is not just about finances,sometimes it is also about excelling in the things that we love to do, and no matter how much people put labels on us we do not falter.
😀
– This just simply means that age would not matter as long as you persevere in life. We might get old in age but it is not a hindrance to do what you can still do. Taking risks is one of the things a man needs to do to be successful in life. You could not succeed unless you take risks. Crisis may come and go but it will just mold us to be a better person
I definitely agree to what this article talks about. I want to highlight the word taking advices is good but relying to it all the time may not turn with a good result. Sometimes advices maybe good and sometimes advices given would not be good for you. It is within yourself. Yes its true that “You are the only person who would know the answer”.
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.”
Knowing oneself is one way to achieve better goals. Think Positive and believe for those things that you can do not for those you cant do. It is merely more on trusting oneself what you can do well and being independent as well.
This article reminds me of how my mom taught me the importance of “Perseverance”. When I was in grade school, I am always afraid of taking chances in joining inter-school activities, because I was thinking that my friends will laugh at me when I lose. I tend to be pitiful about my performance and I belittled myself most of the time. Admiring my classmates receiving rewards and citations reminded me to emulate them and to challenge myself. Then I talked to my mom and she said, “There’s nothing wrong in trying, Christine. Remember what I told you about how the bees create their sweet honey after a very long time of working hard, sucking nectars from different kinds of flowers? That’s Perseverance.”
Then I realized that we can’t enjoy life if we are passive about everything that we do. Trials do come to measure how far can we go. It’s just like how the precious stones in the world were made- pounded, burned, and polished until the true beauty of it comes off.
However, we do hear a lot of advices from our family members and friends about our plans in life. Just remind yourself to be guided by their principles in life and not to follow it. We do have our own brain to think and to decide. It is us and not them that should be followed.
According to the law of attraction, what you think and what you act creates your life. Follow your instincts, it knows where to go. Lastly, Don’t forget to pray.