A mid-life crisis happens when you reach your goals. When we are young we strive for success. We go to college, get a job, climb the career ladder. Ostensibly we do it to afford fancy houses, cars, motorbikes or whatever, but we can't afford those things so we strive for success. Then one day we achieve the goal. We have a wife, kids, house, car - we're earning well, and have cash left over. We are, objectively, succ…
This is great. I've never seen anyone frame it before as a function of attainment rather than age, but it seems obvious now. I've long been part of the online FIRE community, and I think it shows up there as so many people reach their goals relatively early (by definition) and then endlessly discuss what they really want for a lifestyle or legacy, whether they should move the goal posts or work "one more year" or not, what really counts as "working" vs. "retirement," etc.