Nietzsche’s Guide to Midlife Reinvention: Eternal Recurrence as Career Filter

Imagine this: It’s the middle of the night, and a demon sneaks into your room, whispering in your ear, “This life you’re living right now—your daily grind, your career choices, your unfulfilled ambitions—you’ll have to relive it all, exactly as it is, over and over for eternity.” Would you embrace it with joy, or would you curse the demon and beg for a do-over? In the AI age, where jobs are vanishing faster than we can adapt, this isn’t just some abstract philosophy—it’s a brutal wake-up call for midlife reinvention.

This is Nietzsche’s demon thought experiment, and it’s not a philosophical claim but a psychological and existential test. It’s designed to help you better understand your decisions and life choices. If you’d accept living your current life over and over again, it means you’re living in alignment with your true self. If you hesitate, it’s time to reconsider and adjust your direction. Life is too short to waste on things we don’t enjoy.

Facing the Eternal Loop: Is Your Path Worth Repeating?

Today, in the AI age, this isn’t just philosophy. Jobs are vanishing faster than ever, demanding adaptation and reinvention. Our current life models are being deeply questioned and will likely require a deeper, more holistic approach in the near future.

We all know these situations: regrets over past career choices (like choosing the stability of that corporate job over following our passions), anxiety at midlife crossroads (it’s too risky to start something new now), and the fear of making the wrong pivot in the AI revolution.

This is where Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence concept comes in as a powerful “career filter”: Is your current life worth living over and over again? Would you choose the same path every time? If not, you’re not living authentically, according to Nietzsche. If your answer is no, it doesn’t mean your previous life was wasted or that you’re stuck in some fixed destiny. You can still “become who you are.” Your authentic reinvention is just one decision away.

In this blog, we’ll explore how eternal recurrence serves as a decision-making tool for midlife reinvention. We’ll use Nietzsche’s philosophy to transform anxiety into purposeful action and expand our sovereignty in the AI age. We’ll start with an overview of the concept, its relevance to midlife, and then provide practical applications and exercises. This powerful idea can change the way you see your life. Give it a try.

Understanding Nietzsche’s Eternal Recurrence

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher (1844-1900). Key to his philosophy was his rejection of traditional moral standards and his claim that “God is dead.” By that, he didn’t mean God literally died. Rather, he was pointing to society’s declining faith in the church and traditional religious and moral systems. The death of this religious pillar left a void, and Nietzsche argued that it should be filled by creating your own set of values.

He criticized how many people still depend on external guidance and follow societal norms, which he saw as a form of slave morality. According to him, true success in life comes from overcoming yourself, living by your own standards, and affirming and celebrating life—no matter what it brings. This is a powerful concept because it lets us separate our fulfillment from external factors, like economic problems or illness, and puts full control back in our hands.

Eternal Recurrence: The Demon’s Test of Amor Fati

His concept of eternal recurrence was introduced in his work The Gay Science (1882), a collection of aphorisms and poems that explore his key ideas on morality and making the most of life. In this book, he also presents the demon’s scenario we mentioned earlier. This provocative question challenges you to examine your life and whether you’re truly making the most of it. If you’d agree to repeat your life—or the phase you’re in right now—endlessly without regret, you’re on the right path.

“My formula for human greatness is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity.”

F. Nietzsche

If you’re hesitant, if you avoid answering the question, or if you wish major parts of your life were different and you’re just waiting for better times—no worries, just read on and we’ll help sort that out. The experiment isn’t about cosmology or some esoteric mind game. It’s a radical way to face the truth. It’s a test of how much you practice amor fati (love of fate) in your life—meaning, to what degree you accept your destiny and the things beyond your control.

Especially in our fast-paced world, where jobs and lifestyles evolve at mind-blowing speeds, eternal recurrence helps you filter out inauthentic choices (like staying in a job you hate for comfort or security). It can guide your reinvention toward something aligned with your true potential.

The Midlife Crossroads: Why Eternal Recurrence Matters Now

Our 40s and 50s are the perfect time for reinvention. By this age, we’ve gathered tons of life experience. We also have a clear sense of whether we’re on the right path. We understand the pros and cons of our careers and whether they truly fulfill us. In the first 10-20 years of our careers, we’re often driven by aspiring goals like titles, money, or fame. As we grow older, we start questioning how much those things really matter. Are they our intrinsic drivers, or did we fall into the trap of external motivation?

However, when we reach the halfway point in our careers, it’s also not so easy to make fundamental changes. We’ve built a solid foundation, a network, and our job comes with security and benefits. Should you throw all that away just for some “follow your passions” or “become who you are” advice? Most people would say it’s too risky to dive into a new endeavor and that it’s better to stay the course and make the best of it.

Embracing AI Disruption: From Threat to Catalyst for Change

But keep in mind: You have at least another 20 years to keep playing the same game you’re in right now. And with AI on the rise, the question is whether your job will even exist in the next five years—or if you’ll be replaced by something like Alexa or ChatGPT. While that’s a scary scenario, we can turn to Nietzsche’s amor fati, accept what’s coming, and use the revolution not as a threat but as a huge opportunity.

The AI job disruption is real, and it’s just getting started. The IMF predicts that 40% of all jobs will be impacted in the midterm. Many of us are already feeling it in our daily lives. Midlife often brings burnout and existential voids after “success.” These AI developments can worsen those challenges.

Since this isn’t just an individual psychological issue but an existential one too, it calls for a psychological and philosophical solution. Therapy alone won’t fix it. You need to amp up your inner work to address the root cause. That’s what Carl G. Jung called the individuation process, and Nietzsche complements it by turning regret over past decisions into affirmation.

Applying Eternal Recurrence as a Career Filter

Now let’s get practical and see how to use eternal recurrence to evaluate and rethink your career decisions. To understand your personal situation and next steps, follow this simple 3-step process:

• Step 1: Retrospective Filter Take an honest look at your past career. Check out your LinkedIn bio. Are you proud of your achievements and what you were doing? Then ask yourself: “Would I relive this phase (or an earlier one) eternally, in the same setup and sequence?” Be honest. This is where you can spot patterns of inauthenticity (slave morality vs. master creation). Where did you betray yourself? Where did you push aside your desires to support your career?
• Step 2: Present Evaluation Now assess your current role. Do you enjoy it, or does it drain you? In the latter case, it probably won’t pass the eternity test. How is AI affecting your job? Do you think what you’re doing is safe from AI obsolescence? If your job might be replaceable, it’s time to focus on creative sovereignty. It’s not too late—actually, it’s perfect timing, because on this path, AI can support you.
• Step 3: Prospective Testing Now think about alternative scenarios that feel more authentic to you. How does entrepreneurship or a geographic shift make you feel? Does it spark joy or dread?

Overcoming Resistance: Making Authentic Decisions in an AI World

Obviously, thinking about alternatives will bring uncertainties. But that uncertainty is key to reinvention. What many overlook is that staying on your current path comes with uncertainty too. We just don’t admit it because it’s familiar and lets us stay in our comfort zone. The known always feels less risky than the unknown. But remember, AI is about to reshuffle everything—it won’t leave a stone unturned.

Again, I don’t mean to scare you with these future scenarios; I want to wake you up. This might be the greatest chance of your life to become who you truly are. And if you do it right, at the right time, you can use technology to boost your success and build your dream life.

Doing the eternal recurrence test will help you make better, more authentic decisions. It will help you see AI not as a threat but as a chance—as a circumstance you can’t change but can use to improve your quality of life.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”

Serenity Prayer

One might say this exercise is too abstract, but that just depends on how deep you’re willing to go. We often feel resistance when challenging our past decisions, because if it turns out we’re not on the right path, it means admitting we were wrong for years. But I’d argue it’s better to realize that now than at the end of your life.

So don’t be afraid to go deep. Once the initial resistance fades, it’ll be an enlightening and freeing experience.

Practical Exercises and Tools for Implementation

The most important part is not just absorbing theory but taking action. Stop avoiding yourself. You already have the truth inside you; it just wants to be released. And the best way to get there is through writing and meditation. Here are some useful exercises to help reshape your career.

• Exercise 1: Journal Prompt—”The Demon’s Visit” Write down a typical day in your current job. What are you doing? How does it make you feel? Then ask yourself if you’d relive it forever. If no, think about what an ideal version of that day would look like. Write it down too. Don’t censor yourself. Go into as much detail as possible.
• Exercise 2: Career Timeline Mapping Chart your life phases and rate each on an eternal recurrence scale (1-10). Which phase did you enjoy most? Identify turning points for reinvention.
• Exercise 3: Future Scenario Visualization Script two paths (safe vs. bold), then apply the recurrence filter. Which one would you prefer to relive eternally? Be honest.

As mentioned, the key habits for knowing yourself better are journaling and meditation. For journaling, I recommend pen and paper. Get a nice notebook—it feels much more authentic than typing on a computer, and it minimizes distractions.

For meditation, there are many approaches. You can try guided or free-form sessions. It doesn’t matter much at first. Experiment with a few types and see what resonates. People have different preferences, and that’s okay. The important thing is spending time with your inner self.

If you’re still very attached to your current identity and have concerns about letting go, I recommend watching this video on our YouTube channel: Let go of what no longer serves you

Conclusion

Embrace eternal recurrence as your ultimate filter for midlife reinvention—it’s the spark that ignites your path to true sovereignty in this AI-driven era. By facing yourself with raw honesty, you’ll alchemize regrets into unstoppable power and transform anxiety into a fierce, guiding purpose. Break free from the shackles of others’ expectations and outdated norms; claim your right to live by your own rules, forging a life of economic freedom, existential depth, and geographic liberation. You’re not just ready—you’re built for this moment. Your small reset starts today.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

I hope this blog lights a fire under your midlife career change. If you want to see how I harnessed Nietzsche’s philosophy to reinvent myself in my mid-40s and reclaim my sovereignty, check out this blog and join our movement @ The Small Reset.