There is something about being in your fifties that makes you look at life with new eyes.
Maybe because of the reality that the likelihood of another fifty years is a long shot. And even if it meant that life was only half way over would we even have the energy or resolve to push as hard as we did in our youth? For my younger readers the answer is No, we’re over it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love getting immersed in projects and creating something new. I still get excited about new ideas and spend endless hours learning, listening, and exploring the ever-evolving world around me. I still have that in me. But what I no longer have is the false notion that there is a ‘there’ that will allow me to plateau into a blissful, worry-free life.
Life will always present new experiences and challenges, until the day we die.
Ever since I can remember I always held the notion that I had specific goals to reach, each of which would somehow liberate me from the challenges of life. The ‘perfect’ career, partnership, home, etc..
We get so caught up in these notions that a lot of us forsake the beauty of uncertainty for the comfort of the known. So we push ourselves, make compromises, and often sit uncomfortably in a life we told ourselves that we wanted, but which doesn’t feel as good as we had hoped.
We take life so seriously that we forget to live.
Now that I have finally learned to live, my hope is that the lessons of my generation and all those that came before me will help break this pattern for the younger generations who are still fed the false narrative of there being a ‘there’.
Life is an ever evolving process, one that should not be taken so seriously. We should trust our instincts and especially our dreams.
We need to normalize that saying No to traditional pathways for careers and relationships is not only acceptable, it is highly encouraged.
We need to standardize the notion that each and every one of us is in a constant state of growth and change so that people feel supported and empowered to evolve their lives in healthy ways.
Children as well as adults must be given the permission to have agency in their lives without being pummeled by the limiting beliefs and judgements that come from the doctrines of tradition.
True fulfillment can only come from within and each of us has our own unique story to live.
Don’t write your story by filling your name into a pre-existing script.
Follow your heart and watch the magic of your dream life unfold from the unknown.
