Everyday you wake up to a life that seems increasingly monotone and remote to you. The job that used to give you so much satisfaction now seems like a chore.
You're questioning your value both at work and at home - are you getting better at your job or have you plateaued? are you a good father? are you a good wife?
It's as if you've suddenly lost touch with the world.
You're tired most of the time and you don't seem to be doing anything right.
Is this what they call Mid Life Crisis? Well, it's hard to say, although it's more likely that your soul is telling you to get your life aligned with your values.
In the past, you've pursued the things you believed you needed - things like that car, that club membership, partying every other night, maxing out your credit card on designer labels and having as many romantic trysts as possible. You were young, you weren't worried about health, money or what's going to happen tomorrow; you were just living life!
But now, these things don't seem to give you the gratification they used to. Your relationship with your partner, your family members, your colleagues are all not too good. You feel that you're missing something and that life will continue to feel empty until you find it. So what can you do?
Start by writing a list of 20 items in your life which you are not completely happy with, covering things like relationship, career, family, health, wealth, personal, friends, habits and son. Once the list is completed, rank each item for the level of dissatisfaction this particular item provides.
From the list, choose the 6 items which frustrate you the most. Write a detailed description of why, how and when these issues arise. Describing also how you feel when these issues are active.
Next, review those parts of your life which bring you true happiness. Rank them in order and pick out the 6 items which give you the most satisfaction. Also write why, how and when they arise.
Look at both lists and think critically about how you can lessen the dissatisfaction and increase the joy in your life by doing more of certain things and less of others.
The more detailed and honest you are, the most successful you will be in crystallising a blueprint for your life ahead that will reduce your stress and bring you more happiness and satisfaction.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
