A quick announcement before I begin today’s post – 

My new book, Boundless, is now available for ordering!

After a wonderful response during the pre-order phase, I finally have the book in my hands and am shipping it out quickly. If you’d like to get your copy, click here to order now. You can also enjoy lower prices on multiple-copy orders.

Plus, I’m offering a special combo discount if you order Boundless along with my first book, The Sketchbook of Wisdom. Click here to order your set.

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A Gentle Disclaimer: Not everyone will agree with what you’ll read below, and that’s completely fine. There are many ways to look at life, and this is just how I see it. If you’re someone who feels a little lost after 40, questioning where life is headed or wondering what comes next, then this post is for you. If you don’t relate to it, that’s okay too. We are all on our own unique journeys.

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Life Begins at 40

I’m 46 myself.

And if there’s one big thing I’ve realised over the last 4-5 years, it’s that I finally understand what the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (pronounced as “Yoong” or “Young”) meant when he said:

Life really begins at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research.

I had first read about this in my early thirties but this idea didn’t make much sense then. After all, aren’t your 20s and 30s supposed to be the prime years of your life? The time when you build your career, chase your dreams, and prove yourself to the world? And isn’t 40 when things actually start slowing down?

At least, that’s what I thought. But now, having crossed that milestone, I see what Jung was getting at. Because the truth is, the first half of life is mostly research. We spend it figuring out who we are, or at least who we think we’re supposed to be.

We follow the scripts society hands us—”Get an education, find a job, settle down, make money, and you will be successful.” And for a while, that script works. Until, one day, it doesn’t.

The First Half of Life: The Persona

Jung believed that life unfolds in two distinct halves, and each half has a different purpose.

The first half is all about building. We create a career, a family, and an identity. We accumulate achievements and status, shaping ourselves into the person we think we need to be.

Jung called this our persona—the mask we wear to fit into society. It’s the version of ourselves that’s polished, presentable, and designed to gain approval.

And this persona is necessary. We need it to survive and function in the world. We need it to deal with school/college, work, relationships, and responsibilities. It helps us play the game of life.

But the thing is that the persona is not who we really are. It’s a social mask. And as we get older, we start to realise that we’ve spent decades perfecting a role, rather than discovering our true selves.

Jung argued that this realisation often hits in midlife. Somewhere between 35 and 45, cracks start to appear in the persona. The things that used to excite us—things like climbing the corporate ladder, earning more money, and achieving status—suddenly feel empty. A sense of unease creeps in.

And for many, this is terrifying.

Midlife: A Turning Point or a Breakdown?

When people hear the words midlife crisis, they usually associate it with panic, regret, and impulsive behaviour. It’s often seen as a period of emotional turmoil, where people feel stuck, unfulfilled, or desperate for change. But Jung didn’t see this as something trivial or laughable, but as a deeply important psychological turning point.

As per him, this is the moment when the ego-driven and externally-focused self starts to unravel. When we begin to question everything we once believed about ourselves. And this can manifest in many ways—depression, dissatisfaction, a sense of meaninglessness.

For some, this crisis is avoided by doubling down. They cling harder to their personas, chasing even bigger goals, hoping that one more promotion, one more house, and one more achievement will finally bring fulfillment.

But for others, this crisis becomes a breakthrough. It’s like a wake-up call.

And that’s where the second half of life begins.

Jung’s Own Midlife Crisis: From Success to the Red Book

Well, Jung didn’t just theorise about this, but actually lived it.

In his late 30s, he was a successful psychologist and was even considered the noted neurologist Sigmund Freud’s closest follower. But he and Freud had a major disagreement, and their friendship ended. This left Jung feeling lost. He withdrew from public life and spent years in deep self-reflection. Instead of fighting his inner turmoil, he started exploring his dreams, thoughts, and subconscious mind.

He wrote about his experiences in The Red Book, which later became one of his most famous works. Through this period of self-discovery, he developed some of his greatest ideas, one of which was the concept of individuation.

Individuation, according to Jung, is the process of discovering and accepting your true self. In the first half of life, we focus on what society expects from us. But in the second half, we start asking bigger questions—Who am I beyond my job and responsibilities? What really matters to me? 

This is the stage when life takes a new meaning, because for the first time, we stop living according to others’ expectations and start living according to what truly makes us happy. It is not about running away from responsibilities. It is about shifting our focus from success to meaning, from achievement to authenticity.

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The Afternoon of Life: A New Perspective

Jung had a beautiful metaphor for this transition. He called it the afternoon of life. He said:

Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.

Just think about it. The rules that worked in childhood don’t work in adulthood. And the rules that worked in our youth don’t serve us in midlife.

In our 20s and 30s, we seek to prove ourselves. In our 40s and beyond, we seek to understand ourselves.

In our younger years, we chase ambition. In midlife, we chase wisdom.

It’s not that one is better than the other. It’s just that they serve different purposes.

Jung argued that many people struggle with this transition because they resist it. They cling to youth, trying to extend the first half of life indefinitely. But just as the seasons change, so must we.

What This Means for You

So, if you’re approaching 40—or already there—what does all this mean?

It means that if you feel a shift happening, it’s not a crisis. Instead, it’s a signpost to direct you to stop living on autopilot. To stop chasing what no longer excites you. To start listening to the part of you that’s been waiting to be heard all along.

It’s about giving yourself permission to evolve. To let go of old identities that no longer serve you. To accept and embrace the uncertainty of self-discovery.

Maybe this means redefining ‘success’. Maybe it means reconnecting with old passions. Maybe it means slowing down and making space for reflection.

Whatever it looks like, the key is to lean in rather than resist. Because this is not an end. It’s a beginning.

And if Jung was right, then everything up until now was just research.

Life after 40 is About Meaning, Not Success

In the first half of life, we measure progress in external achievements, like money, titles, and possessions. But in the second half, we start asking deeper questions:

• What is my life really about?
• What legacy do I want to leave?
• How do I find meaning beyond just accomplishments?

Jung’s answer was simple: the second half of life is about integrating everything we’ve learned, stripping away what’s unnecessary, and living with wisdom instead of ambition. Maybe, this is why some of the greatest artists, thinkers, and visionaries did their best work after 40:

• Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa at 51.
• Socrates didn’t even begin his philosophical teachings until his 40s.
• Viktor Frankl, who survived the Holocaust, wrote Man’s Search for Meaning in his 40s.
• Carl Jung himself developed his deepest theories after his midlife.

How to Deal With This Transition

I am no expert as I am still dealing with it myself. And Jung didn’t offer a step-by-step guide. But his philosophy, and that of other wise thinkers like him, suggests a few key ideas:

1. Make peace with change: Instead of fearing change, see it as a natural part of growth. Just as childhood leads to adulthood, the second half of life has its own purpose.

2. Let go of the old persona: You are not your job title. You are not your bank balance. You are not the person you pretended to be in your 20s to impress people. Letting go of these old identities creates space for something more real.

3. Pay attention to what calls you: Jung believed that the unconscious mind sends us clues—through dreams, random fascinations, or a longing for something we can’t quite name. Pay attention to these signals. They may be leading you toward your next chapter.

4. Reconnect with forgotten parts of yourself: Many people find that childhood passions, like writing, art, and music, resurface in midlife. This isn’t random, but the unconscious mind trying to restore balance.

5. Define success differently: Instead of external achievements, focus on inner fulfillment. What makes you feel alive? What brings deep satisfaction, even if there’s no recognition?

6. Accept that this is a process, not an event: Individuation isn’t something that happens overnight. It unfolds over time. And the more you trust the process, the more meaningful your second half of life becomes.

Final Thoughts: A New Beginning

So, does life really begin at 40?

Jung believed that if we embrace this transition, the answer is yes.

Midlife isn’t the start of decline. Instead, it’s when we trade the pursuit of external validation for the pursuit of inner truth. It’s when we stop pretending to be someone and finally become ourselves.

And the best part is that no matter how old you are—40, 50, or even 60—it’s never too late to start.

Because maybe, just maybe…everything up until now was just preparation for the life you are truly meant to live.

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That’s all from me for today.

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~ Vishal