I AM TURNING 60!!
I know there are many women out there that don't like to tell there age. I get it! It's a personal decision. But when I first stared PraiseWorks and then later the brand Wellness Woman 40 and Beyond, I decided that I wanted to be transparent about my age. I want to send the message that aging is not a curse, and it doesn't have to be a traumatic event. Aging is a very beautiful part of life. If you make a choice to look on the bright side of what aging is, you will discover a lot of surprisingly positive things about aging.
You can decide how you want to age. I am not talking so much about how you look, but how you feel about you on the inside. Your self-love and self-care is crucial as you age. Getting comfortable in the skin your in is a must. Finding the part of your life that gives you a sense of excitement and adventure is important. And...having the passion to pursue your dreams is what makes the aging process that much more exciting.
Try taking a positive approach towards aging. Here are my top ten reasons getting older is great!
- We finally have the time to get to know you! Now that the kids are grown and in some cases gone, you have can take moments of time to just be. You can spend that quality and quantity time to get to know YOU again. You can have those conversations with you without feeling your being selfish taking the time out to connect with your inner most self. You can finally learn how to be a great person to hang out with.
- We can be comfortable wearing your signature look! There is no longer that pressure to make sure what your wearing is in style. Sure we don't necessarily want to look like we are wearing something we bought in 70's BUT we certainly don't need to go out an buy the latest fad fashion. When you are older you begin to feel comfortable in what suits you best. You can wear your own timeless signature look with confidence. There is nothing sexier than the over 40, 50, 60, woman who is confident.
- We can wear those hips, gray hair, fine wrinkles etc...with pride! There are some physical changes that come with aging. But we don;t have to be ashamed of them!! Nor do we have to stress out trying to change them. What about embracing those changes. What about seeing those changes as a badge of honor that we have lived, survived and thrived. Not everyone gets to see those changes...we need to celebrate the fact that we are blessed to still be here!
- We can bring back our inner child - While we were raising our children, climbing that corporate ladder, racking up materialistic milestones under our belt we got pretty serious. We reigned in that inner child and perhaps toned down the silly part of our personalities. We became responsible. But guess what ...one of the great things about getting older is we don't have to reign the inner child in any more. We can laugh, act silly, have "kid" fun and get re-acquainted with that part of yourself that got buried during our "formative" years.
- We no longer the small stuff... or even the big stuff - We have now reached a point in our lives where we have experienced just about every kind of pain, disappointment, failure, sickness and unfortunately loss of a loved one. We are finally at a place in our life that when stuff happens we know that "this too shall pass". We know that when trouble comes, not to panic,but to use our life experience and wisdom to get us through.
- We can tell it like it is- We no longer feel the need to play the PC (politically correct) game. We can really tell it like it is and not worry about the repercussions. We have so much more clarity of thought and life experience that gives us all the more confidence to say what we think and feel regardless of what others might think. It is liberating!
- We learn to be present and live in the moment- We start to value our time more and no longer want to waste it lamenting over the past or worrying as much about the future. Instead we begin to realize that life is so precious and each day is special.
- We can finally pursue those interest that we have put off for years - Since you start to have more time as you age (the kids are either grown or gone, you are working less hours or have retired) you can take the opportunity to pursue those interest you never got to do. Perhaps you wanted to try ballroom dancing, or return to school, or perhaps take up painting. Whatever it is you have not had a chance to do, now is the time to do it.
- We have more wisdom and experience - No longer do you have to agonize over decisions. You have the life experience and smarts to make better decisions thank you did when you were in your 20's and 30's. You have better judgement as you age and you have less emotional decisions
- We can take more time with our loved ones - Not only do we have more time for our loved ones (children, grandchildren, spouse, friends) we can choose when we want to spend that time and not have any guilt.
And the main reason getting older can be great? We are generally happier and more joyful. Studies show life looks a little rosier after 50, a new study finds. Older people in their mid- to late-50s are generally happier, and experience less stress and worry than young adults in their 20s, the researchers say.
Mary Fran Botempo is my guest on a show that takes a humorous approach to mid-life and the aging process. Listen to "Having A Midlife Crisis? Surprising Reasons Why This Is a Good Thing"
