I feel like my time for everything is running out. Have you been through a similar thing? How did you deal with it? Professionally, I have felt that. I have be

I feel like my time for everything is running out. Have you been through a similar thing? How did you deal with it? Professionally, I have felt that. I have been in academia for a long time, and there are always people who are smarter, more successful, etc. So by my mid-30ies I often felt like I had an ok-ish academic career, I could probably get a permanent position. But I have frequently felt like the point of making a mark has passed (which is probably false) and that I failed. For me it helped to do something really different. First, I consulted for about a year, then I was offered a position in a really nice company and I am enjoying it a lot. I used to go to a lot of concerts and go to clubs, but by the mid-30s I noticed that my body needs much more regular sleep, etc. and I can't take alcohol as much, etc. Also, that lifestyle becomes much harder with a child. So, we have a far more disciplined life now and I only drink a glass of wine with a nice dinner every few weeks or so. However, we found a lot of enjoyment in other things. E.g. we usually take a 1 week break every few months were we hire a small house near a national park or on an island. We usually cycle a lot, go to restaurants, enjoy nature, etc. It's always a lot of fun and there is always something to look forward to. I also re-read Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind every few years [1]. The book is about Zen meditation practice, but the idea of finding and approaching things with a beginner's mind is widely applicable. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Mind,_Beginner%27s_Mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Mind,_Beginner%27s_Mind