By Diane Lang

When we enter Mid-life, we start having the urge to do something different. We started asking ourselves the questions: “What do I want to do when I grow up?”, “What is my purpose?”, “Who am I?” These are normal questions. Some people will say this means you are in a mid-life crisis. Diane Lang, Psychotherapist, Author and Positive Living Expert, personally believes this means you’re in a positive transition finding your higher calling and purpose in lif e. Lang offers a few tips to follow that will help guide you on the journey to find your true self:

Start off by writing your mission statement — what do I stand for? What are my values? What will be my legacy? Then write out your mission statement without judgment.

* Is your mission statement promoting your strengths? Are you passionate about it?

* When we hit mid-life it’s important for us to help others. We need to feel a sense of purpose in our work. A sense of making a difference. Will you be doing this?

* Will my mission statement be my new career direction or a volunteer cause? Either is fine. There is no right or wrong. It’s just making the right choice for you. You can figure this out by asking yourself:

1. Do I love my career currently? Does my career match my values? Do I feel passionate about my career? If you do, then your mission statement might already match up and you want to add some volunteer or charity work to your life. “A lot of my clients will come to me confused about who they are and want to make changes to their career but that is not always the case. Some people have the right career and will figure out they want to add more volunteer work, family time or socialization. By writing your mission statement you can figure this out,” says Lang.

2. If not, then it might be time to thinking about switching from the job you have to a career that you love. There is a huge difference between the two. We spend about 60-80 hours a week w orking between commute times, time at office and never being off due to technology. With all this time and energy being used, you want to make sure it’s doing something you love.

“Your middle chapter of your life is a great time. It’s a rebirth of the authentic you. Start the new chapter doing what you love and the rest will follow,” Lang says.

– Diane Lang is a Positive Living Expert and psychotherapist – is a nationally recognized speaker, author, educator, therapist and media expert. Lang is extremely mediagenic and offers expertise on a variety of health and wellness topics about creating balance and finding happiness through positive living as well as multiple mental health, lifestyle and parenting needs. In addition to holding multiple counseling positions, Diane is also an adjunct professor at Montclair State University.