“The rules that really control who wins and loses are rules of the mind – patterns of thought – behavior – attitude – expectation make all the difference in everything you do.”  ~ Ben Stein

Different stages of life call for different strategies. Here’s an example. I recently had a conversation with a friend who was experiencing significant stress and was positioning himself to make things worse by fighting the last war. They had a very significant health issue in the family that was difficult to manage. At the same time, my friend (I’ll call him Bob) had been offered a new job with a very substantial raise in salary. Bob had not been signed but was out exploring his new territory. Turns out, his territory was much larger than represented and his potential boss had already criticized him for checking on his ill family member between appointments. My advice – run, don’t walk away from this potential new job. Bob’s well into his 50s and has plenty of money for retirement. He doesn’t need the extra money to provide for his family. His situation at 55 years of age was different than when he was 25. He’s no longer broke and hauling to provide food for a young family. His family needs his presence and support more than extra money. 

As humans, we’re naturally inclined to fight the last war. It’s more comfortable and what we know. However, this can undermine our success and happiness. If you’re in mid-life, your challenges are different than when you were in your 20s. Recognize it, accept it, and deal with it. Your patterns of thought will have a huge impact on your happiness. Quit fighting the last war.

“You have a right to a sane balance between work and life.”  ~ Bob Clyatt