When people approach the age of 40 they excuse themselves on a mid-life crises venture, feeling the need to blame the desire for change on the number of years they have been alive. But why does this mentality persist when people live to be 90 or 100 (provided they lead a healthy lifestyle)?  Modern medicine, safer public practices and a better understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle have helped humans lead longer, healthier lives.  Is a mid-life crisis warranted?

Decades ago when people were expected to live maybe to 60, 70 if lucky, buying a sports car or changing directions was seen as a last ditch effort to enjoy life before kicking the bucket.  Today however, the 30s, 40s and 50s are the prime of life.  Why are they the prime of life? Professor Strenger explains:

Most people make many of their most important life decisions before they really know who they are… By age 30, most Americans have already married, decided where to live, bought their first home, and chosen their career. “But at 30, people still have the better part of their adult years ahead of them,” Prof. Strenger says. - Science Daily

If our major life course is decided when we have not formed our mature selves, it is no wonder that many people feel they need a major life overhaul in their 30s and 40s.   Each person’s experiences, accumulation of knowledge, and social encounters shapes our personality and opens us up to ideas and paths that we may not have encountered before.  When you were 18 or 19 you may have been pressured into deciding a career path for the rest of your life.  Perhaps when you graduated college, you married your high school sweetheart or college partner without dating much to get an idea of what you really needed in a partner.  These early decisions when we barely know ourselves can backfire on us later in life, causing us to be miserable and regretful.

We should all take the chance to reinvent ourselves, especially at age 30.   Perspectively, life has just begun and the real YOU has just recently taken shape.  Change careers, go back to college, move far away, get in the best shape of your life, pick up a sport you’ve always wanted to try, whatever it takes to make you happy.   Why?  Because this day will never come again and if you lead a healthy life, you may be living whatever path you set for yourself for another 70 years.  Continue to reinvent, change and challenge yourself.