When I was in my twenties, I thought that I’d be over the hill at thirty. When I turned forty, I thought I had everything figured out. Now at 54, I feel like I’m just now starting to understand what’s important. Whether you’re 35 or 75, it’s never too late to learn something new.
Here are ten things I wish I’d known before turning 50:
Fear is a terrible motivator
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Always grasping, never enough. Someone once told me, “There is nothing worse than a missed opportunity.” Ten years later, I call bullshit. There are many things worse. Fear motivated me to take a lot of unnecessary risks for most of my life. It also stopped me from making needed changes when going down a dangerous path. MeToo and COVID decimated my relationships, leaving me isolated and fearful. When fear is in the driver’s seat, we lose objectivity. Our minds become a battleground for survival. For me, learning how to turn things over to a power greater than myself helps me not to get stuck in a negative feedback loop. Prayer and meditation helped me break out of self-limiting behaviors and expanded my capacity to love and learn. Everyone experiences hardships. How we react, and our effectiveness at responding largely depends on our mindset.
