A recent Washington Post Magazine article by Jonathan Rauch, who also has a forthcoming book, reminded me about the Happiness U Curve. It’s the notion that in many people’s lives, satisfaction starts out high, dips in middle age and then rebounds and grows in later years. The theory has been brewing since at least the 1990’s — this Atlantic article from 2014 (also by Jonathan Rauch…what a coincidence!) gives a good synopsis.
What captured my attention in the Post article was not so much the feel-good implications of the curve, but the “gathering momentum” for radical fixes to the concept of midlife relaunch. Rauch identifies the problem pretty well.
On the printed page, the idea of a fresh start in midlife sounds pretty glorious; in real life, nothing is harder than jumping out of the deep grooves we have carved for ourselves by our 40s. What do I really want? Who wants me? How can I reinvent my life while meeting responsibilities and making ends meet? What are the options and how can I sort through them all?
Those questions and many more clobber anyone who contemplates a midlife relaunch. Relaunchers need guardrails to change course safely. They need institutions and programs and examples that provide support and structure. They need employers who will accommodate and hire mature workers who may want to work part time, undertake not-so-big jobs, and apply old skills to new ventures.
I’ve been through this cycle. It took me more than five years and several false starts before finding AmeriCorps, FIRST and then founding STEMaction. Even then, the road was pretty darn rocky before reaching some level of increased satisfaction. There was also no exit strategy. The one I crafted worked moderately well for me but left my colleague Jenny in the dust. Talk about lack of guardrails…I ran her off the cliff, which did a number on both our satisfaction measures.
Unfortunately, the “radical fixes” Rauch identifies in the Post article don’t look very radical or comprehensive to me, and many like AARP’s Life Reimagined, don’t seem to have gone very far. Maybe the book will offer some more compelling guides or examples. It’s good to have identified a problem and opportunity, now we need more productive thoughts on solutions and results.
I have more thoughts and threads on this topic…to be addressed at some point:
- Making it easier for midlife and senior folks to work at part-time jobs
- Productively engage and employ the large pool of folks who want to do social good
- Make it easier for midlife and senior folks to find and build safe communities…online and in person
- Making it easier to start, sustain and exit nonprofits
- And why not for-profits?
- Communities for seniors that focus on arts, learning and growth…not just managing decline
- Is Margaritaville really the best we can do?
- Laurie mentions place in Berkshires near Tanglewood. Where else?
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