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Being 50Something is the BEST time in your life! You’ve raised your kids (or helped someone else raise theirs), worked a job for 30 or more years, made an impact into your community… To say the least, you’ve been busy. Now, it is your turn to live life on your terms.
Below are MY (unscientific) tips for living your BEST life right now!
1. Have No Regrets!
There is a commercial for the city of Las Vegas that says, “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Well, here’s a news flash… Whatever happened in your past, stays in the past. Living your BEST life in your 50Somethings is about not having any regrets about what has happened up to this point in your life! Anything that you wanted to accomplish and didn’t, can still be accomplished. Any relationships that you wanted to cultivate and didn’t, can still be cultivated. It is not too late to achieve your wildest dreams. Women and men in their fifties-plus are doing some crazy stuff. They are starting businesses, creating nonprofits, leading major corporations… being President of the United States! Don’t regret, get to work and do the things you’ve always wanted to do. It is not too late!
2. Make No Excuses!
“I’m too old!” “It costs too much!” “I’m too tired to try something new!” “I’m afraid!” EXCUSES!!!! Stop making them. You have lived over 50 years and have overcome so many obstacles that you are battle-tested and battle-ready to get through anything that comes your way. You’re not too old. You can achieve your dreams no matter what. Start that new business… Write that book… Relocate to that city where you’ve always wanted to live… Take on a new profession, on purpose! No matter what life is throwing at you right now, you are equipped to handle it and make this the BEST part of your life! Go for it!
3. Find Your Purpose – Live Your Passion!
On our journey to 50Something, we start to live our lives on rote. Day after day, doing the same things with little passion or purpose. Whether we are working or retired, we tend to have a routine and take great pride in keeping it! With that comes that moment when we realize that we are just existing, not living. Living is enjoying the sunshine, discovering new adventures, taking new risks, getting out of our comfort zone. Living is having a purpose and then finding the passion to live it!
Find some new and exciting hobbies or something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have the courage. There are classes in every community that teach gardening, technology, cooking, sewing… Find that one thing that you have really wanted to do and then make every effort within the next week to do it (or put the plans in place to do it)!
4. Embrace Your Inner Child!
Be spontaneous! Everything does not have to be planned and scheduled. It’s okay to break away from the normal and do something totally off the grid. Be like a little kid on a playground! You see them. Running from one apparatus to the other, sliding, swinging, crawling… having the time of their life with no worries. It’s okay to not take yourself so seriously – all of the time. Take some time to discover your inner child and be your BEST!
5. Move Your Body!
This is one I am so guilty of not doing well. As we age, we all know it is good to stay active. For me, it is not always easy, but I know the importance and am adding more activity into my daily schedule. Prior to the pandemic, many of us went to our gyms or took classes at the local community center. Once the pandemic hit, if you were like me, all of that came to an end.
Given the circumstances of our current society, it is important that we stay active. Find an activity that gets you moving a minimum of 3-4 days a week. My commitment to myself is to do more, even in the pandemic. Let’s encourage each other to move and stay active as we go through this journey of 50Something.
6. Volunteer in Your Community!
There are countless ways we can help those in our community who need help. Volunteering is one way to give back, even in a pandemic. You might be able to help an organization by making phone calls to help raise funds for their non-profit. How about helping distribute food boxes to those who are struggling during this pandemic. You can also volunteer at your church as churches transition to in-person services. Whatever your skills and interest, find a way to give back. It makes all the difference in living your BEST life!
7. Have Fun with Family and Friends!
We’ve been isolated from one another long enough! Summer is the perfect time for family fun time. Find safe, fun things to do with your family to break up the monotony.
One of the things that I missed the most in the last year-and-a-half was time with my grandkids. As the world shutdown, so did the visits with my three precious grandbabies. Once I got vaccinated, I was able to see them. It was a joyous day. Now, I get to see them periodically (they live in California) and I get the chance to spoil them
One of the ways to live your BEST life after 50 is to enjoy the moments we get with the people in our life.
8. Cherish Your Significant Other
I’ve been married 42 years to my best friend. As we age together, we grow together and that makes life really great. If you have a significant person in your life, this is the time to cherish them. If you’ve been married and had children, the kids are now all grown up and you now have the time for each other. Cherish and embrace your significant other. It is my greatest tip for living your BEST life right now!
Add your own tips to this list and find ways to make time of your life, the BEST time of your life!
You can join the 50Something Women’s Network Facebook Group to be a part of a community of women who are taking it to the next level. Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/50something