There are lots of reasons for why life is filled with confusion and discontent. And there are some special reasons for confusion and discontent during middle-age. Some of these special reasons include:

• The realization that life is not endless and we may be closer to its end than its beginning.

• Our lives are filled with so much busyness and we have little or no time to enjoy it.

• The tools that we learned and used so well earlier in our life no longer work.

• We start asking the questions -- What is my life for? What will my legacy be? -- and notice that we don't have an answer or that our answer is a mismatch for our current lives.

Some people call this state a midlife crisis. Whether you're in a midlife crisis, or just confused and discontent, coaching is a way to deal with the situation that is effective and creates new possibilities for your future.

Coaching can provide empowerment and support in a wide variety of ways. Whether you are seeking a change, or simply want to proceed in life with more focus and vigor, a good coach can make all the difference.

The following is the coaching model I use with my clients. It is tailored to meet the needs of each individual as each coaching relationship is unique.

The 5-Step Midlife Crisis Coaching Model

(1) Start with some assessment tools that identify your values, strengths, and areas that bring joy and fulfillment. These tools get at the crux of who you are and what makes you happy.

(2) Assess your current level of fulfillment. The Wheel of Life tool is used to assess how satisfied you are with your life today. It also graphically illuminates how well balanced your life is.

(3) Identify what some best possible outcomes would be for your life. Do you still dream about what you want in your life? Where have you given up on your dreams? The answers to these and other questions capture a vision for what you want in your life.

(4) Create a unique plan that will get you from where you are currently to where you want to be. This plan sets priorities so that your life can stay in balance.

(5) Implement the plan using a structure that both tracks progress against milestones and creates accountability so that your intentions become reality. Here you deal with change, deal with breakdowns, and deal with what it takes to keep change alive.


What we know about making changes is -- it usually doesn't work when you try to do it by yourself. You need to get support. This support can come from many sources including family and friends, colleagues, or other community members. You can also supplement this important support by getting a coach.

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain


Dan Tisch, M.S., CPCC, is a certified life coach and principal of Midlife Crisis Coaching (www.midlifecrisiscoaching.com). He specializes in helping clients: to get clear about what they want and best possible outcomes, to create a unique plan to get from where they are to where they want to be, and to develop practices that allow intentions to become reality.