Trying New Things In Your 40s

The recent passing of Tina Turner has struck a chord with many people, including myself. I thought I knew quite a bit about her life before, but one thing jumped out at me. I hadn’t realized that her international success did not occur until she was re-discovered in her early 40s. She was undeniably talented—a magnetic force on stage. Men and women were drawn to her edgy style. I adored her music growing up. Maybe only now do I really understand how she must have felt trying to find success again in her 40s.

It can be a reflective time. A time to say good-bye to old ways of doing things and re-discover new loves and likes. You may have a greater sense of who you are and feel more confident in your own skin. With this comes other challenges, often imposed upon by others who have known you for years—who may say things like, “Don’t ever change”.

You know it’s not meant in a bad way, but the truth is people do change, hopefully they are growing and getting better at being more courages—for example—or learning to set boundaries by saying ‘no’ more often without feeling guilty.

These years hopefully come with a greater sense of curiosity. Curiosity to learn something new, despite all those preconceived ideas you may have had about yourself. I learned to swim and I got over my fear of dogs in my early 40s (crazy huh?)

Step out of your comfort zone. Stop saying you are too old to do this or that (which I hear often). Don’t give up on yourself. If there is something you want to try, try it! The excuse of ‘that’s not me’ is just that, a plain old excuse.

We may not all become earth shattering rock stars in our 40s, but we have the power to be just as daring. We have the ability to push our own boundaries and leave those ideas of who we might have been behind. You are not the same person you once were, and you may very well be a different person in 20 years. For now, it is time to leave your own judgements about yourself behind, and start rocking that new you!