Midlife is a very special time in a womans life. So special that any woman on the cusp of midlife is in a unique position to shift societies views about what it looks like to be a woman entering this phase of her life.

Our midlife will not resemble our mothers midlife. We will not submit to the prejudices of an earlier era where aging women were written off as far as no longer having anything of value to contribute to the world. The truth is, we have much to contribute, much to do, and so very much yet to say! We are set to create the new standard for what it means to be a middle aged women!

Anything can trigger the midlife transition. There usually comes a point in every womans life when suddenly we dont recognize ourselves anymore, or at least a part of ourselves.

We may have been going along seemingly fine in our marriage until the kids leave home and all of a sudden we are faced with a stranger more than a husband at home. Or, we are going along just fine at work, them one day we realize our work no longer holds any meaning for us and we start dreaming about something different.

Maybe a parent passes away, or we outlive a child, and now we are forced to see how precious our time here is. Maybe we have been so absorbed in giving to others, we forgot to give to ourselves, and now we are rebelling those choices.

We begin to acknowledge our time is limited and there are dreams we have yet to pursue! A spark is ignited. It either slowly begins to burn brighter or it flares up quickly and surprises us. It might blaze out of control, then flicker out just as suddenly when we realize the potential consequences of our actions.

And, we may have to experience some misery, in order to achieve the mastery. Once we realize we have changed and grown out of our former selves, some of us go through a period of turmoil. You can call it a midlife crisis if you want, but thats an old term, usually referring to men and their escapades of dating younger women and buying fancy sports cars. This is different. Its a time of experimentation, yes, but also a time of introspection, a period of important lessons. We learn, listen, observe, seek truth, question and relate and we choose.

For God does not send us despair in order to kill us; he sends it in order to awaken us to new life.

~Herman Hesse

And as a group, we are choosing something wonderful! Its a second half of life that more closely resembles our true path and authentic spirits. Its not about playing small, or even playing by all the rules, any more. Its about using our newfound power to serve the world and to mentor others. Its about ushering in a collective, creative, wise new energy that just wont be suppressed any longer. And we get to join the other women, the other pioneers of this new era and a new view of midlife.