THE BEAUTY OF AGING
When I received an invitation from Susannah Conway to participate in a blog series about the AWESOMENESS of aging, I got full body goose bumps, aka “truth bumps.”
How refreshing to focus on the positive aspects of aging, rather than replaying the same old, “how to hold onto your youth” conversation, over and over again.
Finally, an opportunity to collectively celebrate all that is GOOD about getting older…and wiser. Leave it to Susannah to spark such a sorely needed dialogue in celebration of her 41st birthday.
Like many of the inspiring women participating in this conversation, I am turning the big 4-O this year. Although I’ve never been too caught up in the number game, forty does seem like a pretty big deal — a threshold of sorts.
And, while it can be tempting to focus on the shocking amount of grey hair I have, my deepening “laugh lines” or my cranky-body-part-of-the-moment, it’s honestly just not that interesting to me…anymore.
To give you the full story, I’ve spent an excruciating amount of time and energy worrying about what I look like…and sound like and act like (you name it).
For much of my teens, twenties and into my thirties, I battled massive insecurities that held me in unhealthy patterns. Although I knew on an intellectual level that the “gremlin” voices in my head were way out of control, they often ran the show.
However, as my life’s work started to clarify, amplified with a few life-altering trips to Burning Man, stacks of self-help books and a heaps of soul searching, I slowly started caring less and less about what I looked like on the outside.
My priorities started to shift towards feeling good, doing positive work in the world and surrounding myself with the people I love. This shift was so potent for me, I actually decided to change my name to reflect the “new me.” This is how committed I was to letting those old stories GO.
The moral of my story is: Growing older = getting wiser = freeing up.
Now, with each passing year, I’m aware of how much LESS I care about what other people think of me.
At the same time, I’ve also grown more comfortable living in my skin, speaking my truth and owning my expertise and talent. As a result, I let my uniqueness shine brighter, I stand taller, I speak more clearly and I attract more and more amazing people into my sphere.
Hallelujah.
Aging has also shed some serious light on the BIG LIFE questions such as: Who am I? What do I believe? What is my style? What foods make me feel good? What kind of partner is good for me? What am I going to be when I grow up? And the list goes on.
Although I’ll always be a truth seeker and I still find myself stumbling along at times, on most days I find myself standing firmly on solid ground — belief system in tack and clear purpose leading me forward. I even found myself a NICE guy who makes me laugh, listens deeply, accepts everything about me and shows up when he says he will.
This, my friends, is a sign of the times.
I tell you what, it’s amazing how much energy I’ve FREED UP by no longer worrying about things that don’t actually matter or by spending time with people who do not feed my soul. Instead, I use my energy to create art, inspire others, spread love, manifest big dreams and tend to my body, mind and spirit.
Did I mention travel the world, do cartwheels on the beach, volunteer in disaster zones and write books?
I’m grateful to say that my life feels more grounded, soulful, connected and FUN than ever before.
This is not to say it’s all smooth sailing from here, but the waters do feel pretty calm around here thanks to all the years of brave navigating that have brought me here.
Here’s to celebrating life with each and every delicious year.
