There is Beauty and Contentment in Turning 40

Why 40 is the best time of your life-

Why am I writing about age, you ask? Because for a while, I felt very “left out” after I turned 40. Next time you’re on social media or watching television; note how infrequently you see women over 35 years old. I let it get to me for a minute, but now I find beauty and contentment at this young age of 41.

We’re still here…

Let me just say that as much as we want to slow time down, we can’t, and as much as we don’t want to get older, we do. I clearly remember thinking that 40 was so far away; I had so much life to live before I reached that age. Why 40? Society puts that number out there like it’s the end all be all of our lives. You don’t see ads or campaigns with anyone over 30; it’s like we disappear after a certain age. We grow up hearing and seeing that, and it sticks in our minds, so when we get there, it’s like, “wow, I’m 40?!?!” “Oh no! This is it.” 

But, I’m going to let you in on a bit of a secret, age is, in fact, just a number. I genuinely believe that. Sure, you might start seeing tangible evidence like a few wrinkles or a couple of grey hairs, but this doesn’t mean life is over! In fact, so many positive things come with 40.

Confindence…

For instance, you are much more confident at 40. We realize we don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I can recall situations I faced when I was younger that I agonized over, fearing someone else might disapprove. Now, I’m confident in myself without needing others’ opinions. I will wear white after Labor Day, wear torn-up jeans even though I’m not 25, and wear a short skirt on date night. Yes, others will have opinions or thoughts, but that doesn’t sway us anymore. We learn to trust our intuitions and trust ourselves.

We know what we want…

Once we hit 40, we know what we want. Our minds are all over the place in our younger years as we discover our careers, who we love, what we think we want life to look like, etc. But, at 40, we know what pain is, heartache, life, death, love, we’re experienced; we have been there, done that, and have a good grasp on what’s going on. I’m not saying we have it all figured out; God knows we don’t, but compared to our younger selves, yeah, we know some things! We also know what not to do. Unfortunately, we can’t go back and revise our past, but we have certainly learned from it (I mentioned a few things I would redo if I could in this post). 

Take care of yourself…

After 40 beautiful years of life, if you’re anything like me, the chances are high that it’s time for a bit of self-care, both mentally and physically. You’ve spent many years taking care of others, working on your career, raising children, finding love, going through ups and downs, and you’ve likely been putting yourself on the back burner through all of it. So, I encourage you to ask yourself, “how do I feel today?” “Is there anything that’s bothering me?” “Am I happy at this moment?” “Am I doing something that I shouldn’t be?”. REALLY check-in. 

Embrace it…

I will leave you with this–age is what you make it. If you think you can’t do something because of your age, you’re probably right; but you’ll likely surprise yourself if you try. So embrace the strong and beautiful person you are; you’ve got so much life still ahead of you, and enjoy this chapter of your life; you’ve earned it! 

After lots of tears, smiles, heartache, and laughter, I’m thriving at 41, the happiest and the healthiest I’ve ever been. 

If you are under 40 and reading this, take heed in knowing the best is yet to come! 

xo