By TMoM Team Member Sandy Harper
What is it about impending birthdays that makes you start thinking about life? I think it is a great time for reflection. For me, it is reflection on the past year and personal growth.
This year, I am closing in on the mid-forties. Still not sure how that happened! Either way, it got me thinking about how differently I now think and view life, than just a decade ago. Therefore, I decided to write them all down and realized I am probably not the only one that feels this way.
Here is my list of mindset changes that has occurred in my 40s. I hope this list helps to prove that you are not alone in your mindset shifts. Moreover, that it is okay to change your mind, feel differently than you used to and revert back to your childhood self.
- No more FOMO – If you are unaware of what the acronym FOMO stands for, it means Fear of Missing Out. In my youth and well into my 30s, there was always a sense of not wanting to miss anything. It could even be something I didn’t really feel like doing, but that fear of missing something kept me from saying No. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, and typically more tired, but I don’t have the energy to waste on things that don’t truly interest me. Maybe that is it, getting older makes you not want to waste your precious time or life.
- Going out after 4pm – There was a time in my life that we didn’t head out for fun until 10pm. That time is long gone! The thought of having to leave the house past 4pm makes me sigh heavily. By that time of the day, I’m ready to start dinner, eat said dinner and then relax! It has to be something I must do or something I really want to do, to get me out after 4pm.
- Close family and friends are everything – Relationships are important all through our lives. However, once you hit those 40 years you have a better sense of who has your back no matter what, who is in it for the long haul and who want a deeper connection. These are your people. You should be spending 90% of your time with them! Acquaintances are great and fun but that’s not where you should spend the majority of your precious time.
- Being more like your childhood self – Your childhood years were your purest and most exact self. That is before the world, jading experiences and negative people got ahold of us. I have been thinking back to what I loved doing as a child, and realized that is still what I love. I’ve just stopped doing those things for one reason or another. Now, I allow myself to indulge in those childhood loves and interests again. Plus, be more like the child I was, instead of the adult I thought I had to be or who other people expected me to be.
- Don’t wait to do what you really want – I don’t have to remind you that life is short. However, sometimes that realization hits you harder, especially as you get older. Often we get busy with day-to-day life and we tend to say “someday” to the things that we really want to do. Sadly, we are not all guaranteed “someday”. Yet, we all have “now”. Therefore, if there is something you are passionate about doing or somewhere you want to go, then do it! You won’t regret it but you will most like regret waiting for “someday”.
These are my personal mindset shifts since being in my 40s. Yours might be similar or completely different. The point is, that age and life experiences do make us start to think differently as we get older and that is okay! Embrace it, learn from it and live it!
What are some mindset shifts that you have had since hitting the big 4-0? Share them with us in the comments.
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