Day 256: The Perfect Age for This
Yesterday I went and got my eyebrows micro-bladed. For the last couple of years I've been using an eyebrow pencil because I have eyebrows that now cover less than half of the area they used to.
I think it started back in my 30's when I had a thyroid issue, and they started retreating.
There's something about having every day of your life on video that points out things that could be improved.
I've even thought about putting on some mascara. Maybe when I start doing long videos again.
What made me think about sharing this with you?
Louise Hay. I read an affirmation from Louise that says: I am always the perfect age for where I am in my life.
It made me smile.
Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be older. Maybe because I looked so young.
And also, when the high school guidance counselor laughed me out of his office for thinking I could be a Realtor at 18 when I looked so much younger than that. Who would buy a house from me?
At that point, I created a belief that being older gave you more credibility.
And I expanded that over time to a belief that with age came some kind of inner power that made people respect you more.
So, I celebrated each new decade as an accomplishment, like getting a college degree for each decade passed. And the year I was turning 50, I decided that from that point on I would focus on working with women 50+.
Fifty felt like the biggest rite of passage to me.
When I told women I was turning 50, several said, "Congratulations". And then got a puzzled look on their faces and said, "I don't know why I just said that!".
I took that as a sign, and I was going to elevate being over 50 to something worth honoring.
So I shifted my business focus, and it shifted something inside me.
I became more comfortable in my own skin. And at 54, after wearing full makeup for decades, I stopped wearing foundation.
Changing skincare and being plant-based helped me to look younger and made my skin glow to the point I didn't need it.
Over time, as I became even more comfortable with who I am, I started going out in public with no makeup at all. And then appearing on video every day without make-up when I did my Facebook Live series, 5 to Thrive, for 3 years.
There is something vulnerable about a woman in business over 50 appearing on camera with no make-up. And I'm happy to say I've seen more of it in the last few years.
Women coming into their own and feeling confident being who they really are.
So when I read Louise saying, "I am always the perfect age for where I am in my life.", it made me smile. Because it's a confirmation that we are never too old to start anything.
Whatever we decide to take on in life, going without makeup, maybe going out without wearing the perfect outfit, maybe taking a cooking class, or starting a new business, or changing your lifestyle, moving to a different country.
There is never a point where it's true to say, "I'm too old for that."
That is an excuse. It's an acceptable way to say you're afraid to try it.
Because the way life works, we are always exactly where we're supposed to be at any given time, and the opportunities that are meant for us will find us exactly where we are.
In my life, I'm taking on so much right now.
I feel a sense of urgency, a drive to build. In many areas of my life.
I'm seriously focusing on learning about finances, new ways of doing business, getting better at video marketing, how to be more productive by using AI to run things in the background, and at the same time, I'm running 2 businesses and discovering what it means to live the RV lifestyle.
The one thing I'm not doing is getting back to Duolingo to practice my Spanish.
We all have our priorities. And they are fluid, not carved in stone.
Because we are always the exact right age for what we feel drawn to, we don't ever have to wonder if our new desire is silly.
And who cares if other people think it is? They're not the ones doing it.
Don't make yourself small to live in the box someone else wants to put you in.
There are no rules about what we can or can't do at a certain age.
There is a freedom that comes with each passing decade if we move through it with grace and ease, eager to discover what it holds for us.
I personally feel like all the ties that have bound us to the things we took on in the first twenty or thirty years are being loosened and falling away with each passing year as we become more of who we are and release what no longer serves us.
Maybe that is one of the gifts of age. We stop needing every choice to make sense to everyone else.
Oh, and my eyebrows? Vanity? A little. Now I can see them when I look in the mirror without putting on reading glasses. Practical? Yes, because I don't have to draw them on before I do my videos each morning. It just always feels like such a waste of time.
I did it for me. It pleases me. Because I can. And that's enough.
Today's Gentle Practice
Think about one thing you've been telling yourself you are too old, too late, or too something to do.
Ask yourself:
What if I am exactly the right age for what is calling me now?
You don't have to explain it to anyone.
You don't have to make it practical enough for approval.
Just notice what still interests you, delights you, or makes your life feel more like yours.
Sometimes "because I can" is reason enough.
With you,
Lynn
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