“The best years of your life”: What does that really mean? Most people associate their ‘prime’ with health, wealth, happiness, and infectious energy for living life. Those same people would say that the prime of your life is your twenties. We say otherwise. 

Embarking on your second act means you get a second prime too: the modern midlife. We talk a lot about Modern Midlifers. It’s not a term you’ll find in the dictionary, or on Wikipedia. It’s a term we use to describe our community, so we thought we’d take a stab at explaining what it means to us.

Are you a Modern Midlifer?

Being a modern midlifer means that health, wealth, happiness, and energy is part of our lifestyle. Paula Span of the New York Times terms it “The New Old Age” and Journalist Susan Flory calls is “The Big Middle”. These terms don’t just define a demographic group or describe an age range. They also capture our attitudes, priorities, goals, and values. 

There is still much for us to contribute to society in these aspects and while midlife might unsettle us, we are more informed than ever before. Resources like The Frameworks Institute, the Stanford Longevity Center, the Longevity Economy Outlook, and more conduct groundbreaking research to keep us learning and understanding this Second Act of our lives. 

As Modern Midlifers, we consider this time to be a new beginning. From being grateful to our bodies for all they have done and continue to do for us to using our increased free time to explore and discover new passions, we are not the type to back down from a challenge. You are modern midlifer if: 

You have a growth mindset.

Modern Midlifers are active people in all ways. We don’t feel old. We have a youthful mindset. The best is yet to come, and we want to get the most out of it.

As Modern Midlifers, we’ve learned a lot and we’ve achieved a lot, but we don’t plan to stop there. We are drawn to challenges that test our wisdom and allow us to continue exploring opportunities for growth. It makes us believe that anything is possible. It allows us to keep learning and keep achieving so we can share our ever-growing wisdom with others. 

To that end, it’s not just about us. Modern Midlifers are highly social. Our friends aren’t confined to any one generation; they’re all ages and that brings us joy and even more space to explore new perspectives and passions. 

You believe in whole-person wellness.

We believe everything we do is connected in a holistic way and that true wellness comes from the integration of physical, psychological, and emotional health. We call it whole-person wellness.

Whole-person wellness is a natural, proactive approach to health that emphasizes self-care and using natural therapies for our mind, body, and spirit. We exercise regularly, eat healthily, use natural supplements, and proactively pursue our wellness. To do all that we do, it is important that we take care of ourselves, our whole selves. 

So, if you are always looking to infuse meaning into your life and learn more about your interests, your passions, and yourself; if you believe in whole-person wellness and engage your mind, body, and spirit in adventure, we’d say you are a fellow Modern Midlifer. 

Welcome to the club. Our midlife is not a crisis, but a second act. In fact, Maya Angelou said it best:

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, humor, and some style.”

With all that we have experienced with our families and careers, we have gained invaluable wisdom. We are pursuing our purpose with that passion, humor, and style. And that sounds like the best years of our lives to us. 

Learn more here.