“Aging is just another word for living.”
– Cindy Joseph
If you typed in “successful people” on Google, you would find various lists of people who accomplished amazing things at different stages of life.
Hillary Yip launched her own language-learning app when she was just 10 years old.
At 29 years old, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Colonel Sanders was 62 years old when he franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).
And Harry Bernstein had his first book published at the age of 96.
It goes to show, age is hardly a deterrent to a mind that knows what it wants and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
Of course, where you are most productive and accomplished will depend on your values which may shift as you make your way through life.
Remember when you turned 30 and entered into the first real phase of adulthood?
You possibly would have achieved things like establishing yourself in a career, getting a life partner, starting a family, and buying your first home.
Then, at 40, you would have your family, close circle of friends, and be knee-deep in your career.
When you enter your fifth decade of life — a significant milestone — you come to look at yourself with more maturity. You have accomplished many of your dreams. Your kids have grown up. And your career is thriving.
You have already “become” so many things: an employee or employer, taxpayer, life partner, parent, and homeowner. Perhaps you experience a bit of an identity crisis as many between the ages of 50 and 60 do.
Having passed the first development phase in adult life, which Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung referred to as “the age of becoming,” you’ve begun to become aware of the next phase: “the age of being.” In this phase of life, it’s less about “giving out” and more about turning back to yourself.
Then, when you get to your 60s, you begin to look at life with a little more wisdom. You place higher importance on what YOU say and feel about yourself rather than what others say and feel about you. And, seeing that you’ve had both success and failure in your life, you acknowledge that failure and success are just part of the dance of life.
I am in my 60s, and I can say that I have more clarity around what I really love doing and am focusing more on that. All my life, I have absolutely loved helping people grow and empower themselves; now that purpose, that mission has widened. In addition to my beloved clients, I wish to help my husband, grown-up children, and grandchildren become better and better versions of themselves day after day.
Now, I know that aging is certainly not easy — it comes with its fair share of challenges. However, it also comes with a stillness, a quiet understanding that life is precious and doesn’t continue forever. And, as your journey through the years of your life, becoming, accomplishing, and being, you start to nurture a much deeper appreciation for ALL of life — its pains and pleasures, negatives and positives.
I can’t say that there is any decade or age that trumps the others in terms of productivity, impact, and accomplishment because each phase of life comes with its own gifts.
Perhaps the “best years” are relative to how much of your “best” you are able to give.
Would you say that you are currently living your best life being the absolute best version of YOU, you could be?
Would you love to be the best of you?
Drop me an email at ilze@ilzealberts.com or WhatsApp me if you:
- Feel as if your age is hindering you from doing the things you would love to do
- Are finding it difficult to transition from one phase of life to another
- Wish to manifest your heart’s desires (whatever that may be) but don’t quite know how to go about it
I will connect with you on a free discovery call to discuss how I can help you live your best life.
From my heart to yours,
Ilze
