Life Purpose & Meaning Discovery System

I'm 45 and successful by external measures—good job, nice house, healthy family. But I feel empty inside, like I'm just going through the motions. I keep asking "Is this all there is?" How do I find a sense of purpose at this stage of life?

**The Midlife Meaning Crisis:** What you're experiencing is profoundly common and actually a sign of psychological growth. The old sources of meaning (achievement, status, accumulation) no longer satisfy. This is an invitation to find deeper purpose. **The Shift:** - First half of life: Building the container (career, family, identity) - Second half of life: Filling the container with meaning **Purpose Inquiry Questions:** 1. What breaks your heart about the world? 2. When do you lose track of time? 3. What would you regret NOT doing? 4. Who are you when no one is watching? **Meaning Sources to Explore:** - **Generativity:** Contributing to the next generation (mentoring, teaching) - **Legacy:** What will outlast you? - **Service:** Using your accumulated wisdom to help others - **Integration:** Making peace with your whole life story **First Step:** Schedule 2 hours of unstructured solitude. No phone, no agenda. Just you and the question: "What truly matters to me now?"