What is a “mirror crisis”and why doesn’t anyone talk about it? We’ve all more than likely heard of a “mid-life crisis,” and that’s similar (kind of), but there is a difference. How often do you question the value of your life, your passions, your relationships? Do you ever feel stuck and unable to understand why or how to even talk about it?

A “mirror crisis,” essentially, is when someone looks in the mirror and is dissatisfied with what they see in their reflection. I’m getting old, I’m letting my life slip away, I haven’t accomplished the things I set out to accomplish–these are some thoughts one might have in this type of crisis. Sometimes it’s brought on by the realization that you’re going to die someday. 

This process of thought that leads us to doubt ourselves and the lives we’ve built occurs naturally from the time you first gain consciousness as a baby pretty much until the final moments of your life and can especially affect entrepreneurs. These are by no means small thoughts. One’s mortality is a scary thing, both existentially and socially. In the past, growing old was a key driver of “the mirror crisis.” Now, however, there is a new “equality” in this regard. 

Richard Leider, in his article on this concept of “mirror crisis,” says “There is a generation gap in the way young and old think and behave. But gone (at least for the most part) is the rancor between the older generation and the younger generation.” It seems that the stereotypical ageism particularly in the United States which drives generations apart and eats at the older generations’ self-esteem is dying away as the generations have become closer through crisis and social changes. There really isn’t anything to fear about getting old. God calls your gray hairs a crown. He offers comfort and advice: “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Lev 19:32). Take to heart the words of Psalms 92:12-15:

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

On the flip side of this “good news” is the reality that rather than wait until midlife to doubt themselves, younger and younger people are dealing with this “mirror crisis.” 

The answer, according to Leider, is a biblical one. Go ahead, look in the mirror and face whatever you see. I’ll add this, repent if you see sin. Tell God you’re sorry, and then make a decision to move forward. Whether you are young, old, or in the middle somewhere it is never too late to change course and start going for what you wish you’d gone for before, so the next time you look in the mirror, you’ll at least see someone who went for it.