40 & Fabulous
Why I'm not letting a number define me.
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1/16/2024
I turned 40 last year. The photo on the left was taken about 2 months after my birthday at a beautiful winery in Dayton, Oregon. A winery we might not ever be invited back to, but that story will have to wait for a different post.
20 year-old me would have told you that 40 is SO OLD. However, I can honestly say that I didn't feel any different when I woke up that day. In fact, it didn't really sink in until I saw the number 40. Don't you feel like the older you get the more often you hear the phrase "Age is just a number"? It's true folks. Your age is simply a record of how many times you've made it around the sun, it certainly doesn't define you or what you're capable of. Women tend to pause a beat when asked about their age, I know I do. "Should I tell the truth? Maybe fib a few years? Will they believe me?" 29 has been my go-to answer for the last decade, but this year I've decided to embrace the big 4-0. If you're anything like me, failure is the boogeyman hiding in your closet or the monster under your bed. It's definitely the one fear that keeps me from just diving into the deep end. I've decided that I'm not going to let that fear deter me. I'm going to do it afraid. If I fail, so be it. I can hold my head up and know I gave it my best.
Own it ladies!! You are capable of more than you know. Find something you're passionate about and go after it. See where it takes you. I promise it will only enrich your life, even if it doesn't end up quite as you imagined.
Want to switch careers at 40? Do it. If you retire at 65 you will have been doing it for 25 years. I'm halfway through a course to get my real estate license and I'm so excited to see where this adventure takes me! Maybe it goes nowhere, fine. Or- maybe I end up kicking myself for not taking the leap into something I was passionate about 15 years ago but was too scared to take a risk and quit my "good enough" job.
Want to start training for a marathon? Do it. According to the International Institute for Race Medicine the average age for a marathon runner is 40 and runners aging 30 to 50 years old are the fastest. I made it one of my resolutions to run a 10k this year, I figure that's a good place to start. Be on the lookout for the story about my journey!
Want to start a blog on the off-chance people will actually read it and it touches their life in some way? Do it. You'll never know until you try. I want standing room only at my celebration of life, (Yes, a celebration! Not a funeral) and I'm not going to achieve that by sitting around thinking, "What if?". I like to think I have meaningful advice to share and something I think we should all strive for as humans is to leave this place better than when we entered. Whether that means I influence thousands of lives or just two. (Obviously my two daughters are stuck with hearing my advice whether they like it or not.)
I will say that being surrounded by friends and family that support you is a huge part of reaching your goals, but it begins and ends with you. Don't let a number or a preconceived notion hold you back from going after that goal. You're not stuck just because you've been doing the same thing for 20 years. Reinvent yourself. Who knows, you may like this version of you even better.
