If you’re lucky, you’ll have a crisis.

There are rules that you (and I) play by. These principles are not written down any where or given to you in a handbook- but you know them. Do well in school, go to college, graduate, get a job, build a career, get married, have kids. It’s understood that if you do these things, in that order, you will be happy.

As with any game, we want to win. We decide it is in our best interest to follow the rules, score as many points as we can in each category, and then cash in for our happiness prize at the end. The problem is, there is no prize.

Some people never realize that they’re playing an endless unwinnable game against the clock but, for the people who do, it is a huge wake up call. Dr. Alan Watkins, expert in leadership and human performance, says it best in his TED talk: “If you’re lucky, you have a crisis. Something terrible happens to get you to question the rules.” He explains that this tragedy could be the loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, an illness… the list goes on. This kind of incident usually happens in mid-life.

When we realize that there is no trophy, we’re pissed- and rightfully so. We just spent the last 50 years following the rules of a game perfectly- only to have someone flip the coffee table and send the board and all the pieces flying in every direction. At this point you realize that it…