I subscribe to the Farnam Street blog and podcast, which is a great source of wisdom with in-depth interviews with an array of people that have figured things out. They post some fascinating historical articles, including this transcript of a talk from John Gardner, former US Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. It addresses personal renewal and touches on mid-career challenges:
“(When) You’re young and moving up. The drama of your own rise is enough. But when you reach middle age, when your energies aren’t what they used to be, then you’ll begin to wonder what it all added up to; you’ll begin to look for the figure in the carpet of your life. I have some simple advice for you when you begin that process. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Look ahead… And above all don’t imagine that the story is over. Life has a lot of chapters.”
A great investment of 10 minutes to read through the rest of his thoughts.
The Social Enterprise 