@OP. Yes, I may have become "mediocre" and certainly more "complacent". When I took the job a Ford I already had had enough experience in my field. Of course, as the years have gone past, I had way less people knocking my door to offer a job. Still, even with the ageism, I believe I could get into another company, but at a lesser salary and working more hours. (I know, I have looked)
Sorry, but at my age, I am looking at retirement in a few years, I'll need all the money I can get. I no longer care for working long hours, particularly when I notice how little time I might have remaining. I want to empty my bucket list before my time comes.
The time for working hard and long always belong to the young ones. I worked and learned a lot when younger, enough to still be "decently good" in most places. However, I stopped caring too much for my profesional development and achievements several years ago, when I realized ageism is real.
I allowed Ford to keep me in a sh---y position, dealing with sh---y technology, because of the money and the time to spend with my family. I don't regret it, though. The relationship with my family has improved a lot. I got closer to my son and my wife, since I started spending more time with them. (My wife used to take care of everything related to my son, since I was working a lot. Several times, I arrived so late at home from work, that my son was already in bed. I had a good professional career, but family should always come first)
Interestingly enough, I am still at Ford (I am the first surprised, since I tend to be rough with management). IDK how long I'll be at Ford, and I'd prefer to keep my job, but I cashed in almost all (paid my new home in cash as well) and I'm waiting in the sidelines to see what happens. I learned that working and saving only gives you an economic base, but the real money is not made working.