Natassja

Jung had this idea that the first half of life is basically you building the you that can survive out here. You learn how the world works, you chase the credentials, you build a career, you try to become someone. You’re proving, pushing, expanding. It’s necessary stage in life. But it’s also kind of one directional. Then around 40, something changes. The stuff that used to drive you doesn’t hit the same. Not because it was pointless, but because it stops being enough. You can still win the outside game and still feel like… okay, but now what? And that’s where Jung says the real work starts in that you either keep running the same script, or you start dealing with the parts of yourself you ignored while you were busy building your life. I’m 42 and I get it now. The last five years changed how I see everything. Maybe it’s because mortality feels more real when you’ve lost people, or you’ve watched time move faster than you expected. But I find myself thinking about purpose in a way I never did before. Big questions. Why are we here? What am I supposed to do with the time I actually have? Having kids makes that impossible to ignore. You start seeing life through them. You think about how to raise them, how to protect them, but also how not to overprotect them because they need some struggle to become who they’re going to be. And for me, it’s made things really clear that my purpose is my family. Making sure they’re safe, stable, and taken care of. And I’ve realized you can’t do everything at once. Every choice costs you something else. Even if you don’t notice it in the moment, you’re always trading one thing for another and sacrificing something on the other end. So part of growing up is getting honest about what you’re choosing, and making those trades on purpose instead of by accident. I’ve also had this weird reset where I can look back at who I used to be and not hate him for it. I was naive. I was immature. But that was part of the process. I’m not that guy anymore. What matters now is family, friends, and actually enjoying the life I’m in while I’m here. And deep down, most of us already know our own gaps and what we should be doing, what we’ve been avoiding. The fix isn’t more thinking. It’s action. You can have money, status, fame and still be miserable. Happiness comes and goes. But if you keep showing up and doing the things you know you’re supposed to do, the path has a way of finding you. Then you check yourself, stay honest, and adjust as you go.