🎇 The Midlife Question: What Are We Really Doing Here?

You’re a midlife creator. Maybe you’ve raised a family. Maybe you’ve built a career. And now, you’ve woken up to something deeper calling your name — not just a side hustle, but a soul hustle.

So here you are. Mouse in hand, AI whispering in your ear, sales page half-finished, and a question echoing in your soul:

“What’s this all for?”

Alan Watts — philosopher, cosmic prankster, and spiritual DJ of the 20th century — would raise a glass of sake to that question.

Because you’re not alone. And your confusion is not a bug — it’s the beginning of liberation.

💥 The Big Idea: Life is Play, Not Work

Alan Watts said it best:

“This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realise it is play.”

This insight isn’t just poetic—it’s practical. Especially for creators building businesses around their ideas.

Let’s break this down like a funnel:

  • Most people live like the universe is a military operation.

  • Goals become burdens.

  • Creation becomes performance.

  • You become your own overbearing boss.

But what if you built your digital business not from grind, but from play?

Not because you must but because you can’t help it.

Watts invites us to build like a tree grows: spontaneously, joyfully, and without external coercion.

🌀 Ditch the Survival Script

Watts pokes fun at the Western obsession with survival and duty:

“The fear of death is completely absurd. If you’re dead, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Ouch. And… freeing.

Here’s what this means for you, dear solopreneur:

Stop trying to survive your business. Start dancing with it.

When you build only to meet quotas, deadlines, or expectations, you strangle your creative life force. When you start acting from joy, curiosity, and flow—everything changes.

Your audience feels the difference.

Your content glows with energy.

And ironically? You make more money when you stop chasing it so desperately.

🌿 The Tao of Creation: Do Without Forcing

In Taoism, the natural order of the universe is called the Tao — “the way.”

It’s not a boss. It’s not a god. It’s not a 10-step funnel framework.

It’s the unfolding flow of life, happening by itself.

Watts draws this wisdom into his work by reminding us:

“You stop this spontaneous flowering of nature cold if you tell it you must do it.”

Translation: The moment you command yourself to be creative, you kill the magic.

💡 Instead, let creativity arise. Let the offer “reveal” itself. Let the book write you. Let the audience find you while you’re dancing.

This is not laziness. It’s spiritual aikido.

🧘 You Are Not Just “John the Coach”

One of Watts’ recurring insights is about identity:

“You are not just poor little me. You are the fabric and structure of existence itself.”

That’s a big statement. But what does it mean for your coaching business or your consulting brand?

It means this:

✅ You are not just a marketer running Facebook ads.

✅ You are not just a ghostwriter managing deadlines.

✅ You are the player behind the roles.

So why limit yourself to just funnels, niches, and hashtags?

You are not here to “grind to 6-figures.” You’re here to play your cosmic part, and in doing so, change lives — including your own.

🔄 The Drama, The Mask, and the Self

In Hindu thought (which Watts loved), life is described as a drama. A divine play where God is wearing a thousand masks — and one of them is… you.

“Everybody is God in a mask.”

This flips everything.

You’re not just a character in the game. You’re the actor, the divine spark playing the part of “midlife solopreneur figuring it out.”

Reminds me of “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” from William Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It.

So play it well. Don’t take it too seriously. But show up fully.

🎭 Selling a course? Make it your performance piece.

🎭 Hosting a live workshop? Channel your inner stage actor.

🎭 Writing your landing page? Make it Shakespearean if you must.

You’re here to express, not impress.

🧠 Thinking is Not Knowing

In a world of data and AI, this is especially sobering:

“Trying to understand the world, purely by thinking, is like drinking the Pacific Ocean out of a pint mug.”

Most creators overthink. We try to intellectualise our way into impact. Funnels. Frameworks. Formulas. (Guilty.)

But Watts reminds us — the deep truths don’t arrive through spreadsheets. They arrive through presence.

So next time you’re stuck?

  • Don’t ask, “What’s the next tactic?”

  • Ask, “What wants to be created through me?”

  • Then… trust it.

That’s your most powerful funnel.

🕊️ Ways of Liberation = Freedom for Creators

Watts called these practices “ways of liberation” because they free you from the illusion that you’re small, separate, or stuck.

Here’s what liberation might look like for a mid-life creator:

Constraint Liberation Insight (Watts-style)
“I must hit $10k/month.” “What system would make play profitable?”
“I don’t have time.” “You are time. Choose where to place your energy.”
“I need to grow faster.” “Grow like a tree, not a TikTok trend.”
“I’m too late to start now.” “You are existence itself. Now is always on time.”
“My niche is saturated.” “No one else can play your role. Your voice is needed.”

The “way out” isn’t another tactic.

It’s a return to being fully present, alive, and aligned.

✨ How to Apply This to Your Digital Business

Let’s make this practical. Here’s how to channel Alan Watts into your content, offers, and business:

1. Start with Joy, Not a Funnel

Ask: “What am I curious to create, even if no one buys it?”

Start there. That energy sells better than hype.

2. Build Systems That Feel Like Flow

Use checklists, yes. Use AI tools, yes. But design them to amplify play, not suppress it.

(You might even build your own “Way of Liberation” GPT…)

3. Reframe Marketing as Storytelling

Every time you show up online, you’re adding a scene to your cosmic play. Make it fun to perform.

4. Work Less Like a Hustler, More Like an Artist

Have dedicated non-outcome time every week. Paint. Dance. Journal. Let your soul breathe — and watch how it makes your copy better.

5. Use Alan’s Lens in Your Messaging

Try this:

“You’re not just building a business. You’re liberating the artist inside you. Let’s build something playful that feels like you.”

That hits harder than “Join my $997 group coaching program.”

🧭 Final Thoughts: From Hustle to Harmony

What if you stopped treating your business like a ladder and started treating it like a song?

What if you were the melody? What if the tools, tactics, and GPTs were just the instruments?

You don’t need more hustle. You need more liberation. (Isn’t that what internet marketing is all about?)

Alan Watts hands us that permission slip — dipped in Taoist ink and wrapped in cosmic laughter.

So go build, play, create, share — not because you “have to,” but because it’s what you were always here to do.

You’re not late.

You’re not stuck.

You are the universe dancing in digital form.

So go make something weird and wonderful.

And don’t forget to laugh along the way.