Since I wrote about
my birthday in the last paper, I decided I could continue with the aging theme
a little in this paper.
Not too long ago, I
was watching a series of videos on aging gracefully, which were geared to 40-50
year olds. One of the main comments that
was mentioned through all the videos is the notion that at that age, women are
supposed to “pass the torch” to the younger generation. I really liked that many of the presenters
debunked that idea, and said that we should instead be shining our lights
brightly and “lighting” the torches of the younger generation from our torches,
so we can all be a light.
Another concept in
the video series that I really liked was that we’re not burned out by what we
do, but rather, by HOW we do it. We are
told we are successful when we can do all the things and be all the things to
all the people, and yet that’s impossible.
We know that in our minds, but it is so easy to keep getting sucked into
that myth. Instead, success is about
knowing what to give up, let go, and ignore, so you can fully focus on what
really matters in life and brings you the most joy. Note: what really matters is NOT wearing
yourself out to have a super clean house or an empty email inbox.
The third theme
that wove through the video series was about getting out of our own way. Too often we get stuck in our lives, not
because we don’t know what we want or how to get it, but because we don’t want
to make the wrong decision so we don’t make any decisions. Or, we want to research ALL the options and
information so we can be informed, yet we never act on that knowledge. Or, we keep trotting out the same old excuses
as that is easier than making a shift in the status quo, often because we think
we have to make a MASSIVE change, yet a mere 1% change can make dramatic shifts
too.
In the end, it’s good to remember that “We’re not getting older. We’re getting bolder.” - Crystal Andrus Morrissette
Beth
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