Starting to figure it out

Over the past three years I've spent a lot of time contemplating Life from every angle, because my life like most peoples did not turn out quite the way I thought it would. Everything I've put effort into has taken sort of a left turn off the beaten path and all of a sudden I had to re-figure-out everything I thought I knew. Have you ever reached that point? A rock bottom? A sudden unexpected opportunity? Is that what it takes for everyone to make meaningful change or just meatheads like me?