Midlife Developments You Should Be Prepared For

Jeff is a middle-aged man and may be experiencing a number of midlife developments. He may be experiencing exhaustion, discontentment, or boredom with life in general or his current lifestyle including the marriage he has with his wife Julia. He may also be experiencing self-questioning where he is concerned about the meaning of life and decisions he may have made earlier in his life. As a result, he is likely to be having frantic energy and restlessness with the desire to do things completely different. He may also be confused about his life hence questioning where his life is headed. Through discussions with his wife he can strategize on a better future for both of them. Increased irritability and persistent sadness may be affecting the Jeff as he may not yet have realized his goals and dreams hence the need to collaborate with his wife to pursue the same. 

Generativity vs Stagnation 

Erik Erikson identifies the seventh of eight stages as generativity versus stagnation which is likely to occur in middle adulthood between the age of 40 and 65. It is a time where adults strive to create or nurture things that are likely to outlive them. Some of the important things at this stage include parenting, contributing to things that benefit others, and making positive changes for future generations to come. On of the middle-aged adults that I admire the most is Hip Hop artist Shawn Corey Carter better known as Jay Z. He turns 50 later in the year and has built on his success over the last two and a half decades. However, it is the last decade that has put him on the status of an icon. He founded Roc Nation, LLC an entertainment company that houses a record label, touring and concert production, talent agency, film, music, philanthropy among other business activities. These activities have been at the core of developing new artists in the music industry over the past decade including Big Sean, Jaden Smith, Bridget Kelly, Rita Ora, and J Cole among other popular artists. Along with his wife, they are raising three children while also giving to various charities a clear indicator of his dedication to generativity. He currently holds wealth worth $900 million which is quite a large sum that may help sustain the future of his children.