Life In the Meantime: When You Realize You're Missing From Your Own Life

Benjamin Franklin once said:“Many people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75." Sounds harsh? Maybe. But it hits close to home.

For most of us, life becomes a checklist:Born – school – fall in love – get married – have kids – raise them – wait for them to move out – welcome grandkids – finally retire – scratch off lottery tickets.

We keep waiting for “better times” to finally enjoy life.Here’s the truth:“Better times” are just life… in the meantime.

When You Feel Like You’ve Become a Stranger to Yourself

Then comes the moment you realize you’re just tired. Not physically — but mentally, emotionally, spiritually exhausted. From chasing goals, from meeting expectations, from trying to fit in and be “enough.”

Social media, society, even family — they all push their version of success: Be beautiful. Be smart. Be humble but confident. Work hard, but don’t forget self-care. Do it all — but don’t overdo it.

And what happens? We all start looking the same.

Like store-brand versions of people we once wanted to become.

So, Crisis Hits. Not a Midlife Crisis — a Mid-Soul Crisis.

Suddenly, you miss… yourself. You don’t know what you want anymore. You feel numb, disconnected, and yet you’ve been giving your all.

And yes — sometimes, you cry. Not because of pain, but because of yet another expectation, another responsibility. You’ve tried so hard, and still feel like you’re not getting anywhere.

And in that moment, someone says:

“Just think positive!”

But when you’re sitting next to a pile of crap, it’s kind of hard to believe flowers smell good.

The Real Problem? We’re Trained to Dwell on Problems — Not Solutions.

And when someone does offer a solution, it sounds too simple for the weight we’re carrying:"Just set goals!""Just meditate!""Just smile more!"

Sure. And while we’re at it, why don’t we just grow wings?

But There Is a Way Out (And No, It’s Not Selling Herbal Supplements)

The first real step? Make the decision to change. Then, find your “why.”Where are you going? What do you want?

Remember that scene from Alice in Wonderland?

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.“I don’t much care where—“ Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

And that’s how most of us live — directionless, then surprised we keep ending up in the same spot.

This Is Your Halftime. Time to Change the Game Plan.

You have a clock inside you — ticking. But it doesn’t show you the final minute. So don’t wait until it’s too late to start truly living.

You can’t remove all your responsibilities — but you can live a life that has meaning, joy, laughter and real purpose in between them.

So Here's the Real Deal:

Your life begins when you decide to find yourself. When you stop putting life on hold. When you choose to live by your values, not someone else’s checklist. When you stop chasing approval — because you finally believe in your own decisions.

It’s not about birth or death. It’s about the life in between.

This… is your halftime. And right now, you can choose a better strategy — and change the direction of the game.