Am I about to end the season of my discontent? Working at 40

Like a moth to a flame I clicked to a story on Knowledge@Wharton Today entitled "The Discontented Thirties." I didn't do so because I consider myself discontented, but like any type A about to turn 40 (I have a few months), I question. I look at all that I accomplished in my 30s, like turning a life passion into a business, getting married, and having a daughter, and I say to myself "why couldn't I have done that in my twenties?" Of course reading stories like this about young media influentials in their teens and twenties doesn't help to contain the self-criticism.

My ridiculousness aside, the KW article says that of all of the working-age cohorts, those age 30-39 report the most work dissatisfaction. This is the time when many in that cohort are starting families and experiencing work-life balance issues, and when their work responsibilities are increasing. Later, in our 40s, experts opine, we "can get their minds back in the game". And by our 50s, we have more work satisfaction because we are enjoying the benefits of the upper echelons of the corporate ladder.

All of this makes me think of whether I have even more to look forward to in my 40s. My 30s was a mixed bag. I recall entering my 30s gainfully unemployed, meaning the start-up I had worked at went belly-up, and I was enjoying the life of free agency. Enjoying, at least, until I ran out of money. Then I found a job that paid rent but did little else for me. I almost went to grad school and decided to stick it out for another job, where I was paid little, but got to explore a new industry. It was also the decade that I took up blogging, and met my business partners, and started a company. I don't think I could ever look at work the same way again. Work changed from a series of jobs to a mission.

My 30s were fraught with change, and concern about my future, and hard work. And this was the decade that I became an entrepreneur. I don't feel discontented; I feel quite satisfied.