I love being 64, and I’m looking forward to being 74, 84 and hopefully 94 and beyond. However, maybe I am unusual in this. In today’s society, ageing is often touted as something negative and that we should avoid at all costs. And yet, ageing is just living.
Unfortunately, most of the words that we hear in regards to ageing are limiting, negative or simply dismissive. For example, the word anti-ageing implies that we are against ageing and that ageing is something that we need to fight against.
However, growing older is a privilege. It is a powerful, natural and beautiful part of our journey through this life. Many people never get to experience the gift of old age as their life journey may have ended too early. Indeed, my own father died at the tender age of 35. So, for me, every year that I live is a blessing, and I am deeply grateful that I am still here to see another day.
Rules? What Rules?
Fortunately, we also have a generation of women who are not following the “rules” of what ageing should look like. Indeed, many business or creative endeavours were started by women (and men) in their 50s and beyond.
Interestingly, there has been an increase in entrepreneurial activity among older people in the United Kingdom, specifically. The number one reason why they wanted to set up a business later in life was that they wanted to realise a “long-held ambition.”
Indeed, our very own Margaret Manning who founded Sixty and Me is a prime example of someone who has taken the plunge and started a new business in her 60s.
And, in the USA, the 55-to-64 group accounted for 22.8% of entrepreneurs in 2021.
Indeed, Forbes magazine highlights that “research shows that entrepreneurs in their 50s and over are twice as likely to be successful as those in their 20s – something that can be put down to one main factor: experience.”
It’s About Mindset
However, it’s not just about starting a business, it’s about doing the things that give you joy or are passionate about what matters. It’s about knowing that you are still valued and valid and that you’re never too old to begin a new hobby, take up dancing, write a book, start a course, go sky diving or visit somewhere you have always wanted to go to.
The key factor in pursuing your dreams and goals in your 60s and beyond is in your mindset and attitude towards your own beliefs and thoughts about ageing.
The four questions below invite you to consider your own core beliefs around what ageing truly means for you. There is no right or wrong way to respond to the questions and you may like to use them as journal prompts if you love to keep a journal.
1. Am I Really Looking Forward to Growing Older and the Prospect of Ageing?
This is a powerful question to answer because it holds the key towards your attitude about your destiny and life fulfilment. It has been said that growing older is a privilege and one that not everyone gets to experience.
When you look at ageing, is your cup half full or half empty or are you just glad that you have a cup? Having a positive attitude and vision about growing older primes the mind to actively look for those experiences and opportunities which will align with your thoughts, dreams and ideas.
2. Do I Think the Young Child That I Was, WillBe Proud of the Person That I Am Today?
This lovely question invites you to review your life journey so far and acknowledge your achievements and all of the challenges or obstacles that you’ve overcome. It invites you to see how far you’ve come and appreciate all of your successes as well as the times when things didn’t work out in the way that you desired.
It helps to give a perspective on your journey and perhaps acknowledge that you have been able to take care of that inner child in ways that once felt unknowable.
3. What Is My Personal Definition of Success in My 60s and Beyond?
The definition of what success means has often been defined in extremely narrow parameters, causing many women to feel ostracised because they felt that they did not match up in some way. Being able to find your own definition of success and how this pertains to you is vital for forging a fabulous relationship with your body, mind, heart and soul.
Women who set their own definition of success have a clear sense of who they are regardless of age, body size, shape or anything else and are not swayed or influenced by what anyone else says or thinks. They know they are fabulous just as they are and they never apologise for their age, how they look or what they desire to achieve.
Whenever we try to live according to someone else’s definition of what success is, we live outside of ourselves, constantly looking for some kind of external validation that we are okay. Defining what success means to you means that YOU are in the driving seat of your life and the only validation you ever need is your own!
My own personal definition of success has changed hugely throughout the years. From the young driven woman trying so hard to prove myself in my 20s and 30s, success now means peace in my heart and time to explore what I love creatively.
4. In Terms of Loving and Looking After My Body, Are My Actions Life-Affirming or Life-Numbing?
Actions speak louder than words and in terms of really loving our bodies as we grow older, how you treat your body is the number one key to boosting your body confidence, health, vitality and wellbeing.
When your actions are life-affirming, you seek to increase your aliveness, wellbeing, vitality and health by taking a proactive approach to putting your own self-care first. Life-numbing actions include not listening to what your body needs, eating down your feelings, criticizing yourself, putting yourself last on the list of people to care about, ignoring any pain and waiting until you reach a crisis to take any positive action.
We experience every moment of our life through our amazing bodies, so it makes sense to nurture, care for and love this beautiful “home” that we live in. And in terms of healthy ageing, it can make a huge difference to how we feel about ourselves.
Some other lovely questions to ponder are, what brings you joy? What makes life worth living? What is important for you today and what are some goals that you hope to achieve in the next six months or before your next birthday?
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Let’s Have a Conversation:
What are you looking to achieve by your next birthday? Is this a life-affirming goal? What does ageing mean to you?
