Ep. 23 - The Midlife Question Nobody Warns You Would Be So Hard

When was the last time you asked yourself what you actually want? Not what your kids need, what makes the most sense for your family, what you should do next, or what everyone else thinks is a good idea. What do *you* want?  I’ve been sitting with that question after someone recently told me I still wasn’t choosing myself. My first reaction was, are you kidding me? I left a seven-figure business at 45, started over, launched this podcast, and began building something I genuinely care about. But then I realized how often I was still looking outside myself for answers. And it made me wonder how many of us have become so good at knowing what everyone else needs that we’ve forgotten how to hear ourselves. In this episode, we talk about: - The comment that made me question whether I was actually choosing myself - Why making big changes in your life doesn’t automatically mean you’ve learned to trust your own voice - How years of motherhood, caretaking, advocating, working, and managing everyone’s needs can make it surprisingly hard to answer, “What do I want?” - Why figuring out your next chapter doesn’t have to begin with finding your purpose or mapping out the next five years - The smaller questions I think are far more interesting right now, including what sounds fun, what you’re curious about, and what would bring you joy - Why wanting something for yourself can feel uncomfortable when you’ve spent years automatically considering everyone else first - What breweries have to do with all of this and why there may need to be a *Not Done Yet* brewery experience in our future You don’t need to walk away from this episode knowing exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life. Maybe that’s putting way too much pressure on the question. Instead, start paying attention again.  Ask yourself what sounds fun, what you’re curious about, or what you keep wanting even when there’s no practical reason for wanting it. Your answer might not come immediately, especially if you haven’t asked yourself in years.  For now, the point is to start asking again: **What do I want?** And if you know another woman who needs this reminder today, send her this episode because none of us were meant to carry midlife alone. Ready to stop circling the thing you can't stop thinking about? Take the free Not Done Yet Spark and discover your next step. www.rachelaperry.com/spark  Ready to stop circling the thing you can't stop thinking about? Take the free Not Done Yet Spark and discover your next step. www.rachelaperry.com/spark