101. Striving vs. Thriving in Midlife: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living

2025-02-04

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In today's episode of The School of Midlife, we dive into a critical question for high-performing women in midlife: When is enough enough? Many of us find ourselves caught in the cycle of constantly striving for more—more success, more accolades, more achievements—but at what cost?As high achievers, we often feel like we’re almost there—whether it’s a financial goal, a physical milestone, or even the approval of others—but somehow, that feeling of fulfillment always seems to slip through our fingers. Why is that?

In today's episode of The School of Midlife, we dive into a critical question for high-performing women in midlife: When is enough enough? Many of us find ourselves caught in the cycle of constantly striving for more—more success, more accolades, more achievements—but at what cost?

As high achievers, we often feel like we’re almost there—whether it’s a financial goal, a physical milestone, or even the approval of others—but somehow, that feeling of fulfillment always seems to slip through our fingers. Why is that?

This episode unpacks the internal struggle many women face in midlife as they try to balance ambition and contentment. We'll explore:

The never-ending pursuit of more: why we keep moving the goalposts and how it impacts our happiness.
The myth of "doing more" and why adding to your to-do list isn’t the solution.
The importance of defining your version of success and learning to say "enough" without guilt.
How we were raised to follow a checklist of societal expectations—and why it’s time to break free.
Practical advice on how to live the life you actually want, right now, instead of delaying joy and fulfillment for some future date.

We’ll also touch on the game-changing ideas from Die With Zero by Bill Perkins, which challenges us to prioritize experiences over accumulation and how embracing this philosophy has helped many of us in midlife stop living for the next milestone and start living for today.

If you're ready to rethink what success means, let go of the "good girl" checklist, and take control of your midlife, this episode is for you.

LINKS + MENTIONS:

Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins

1:1 Coaching with Laurie

Group Coaching: Gap Year

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