How to Start Over at 50? – Age is all in your mind!: “Clueless at 50”, that sounds like a movie starring me in the lead role. Marriage less, moneyless, and clueless, I find myself in a new space. They say age is just a number, but I would like to correct all of them here, age is not a number, it is a word. A word that hangs right there staring at you.
Try Yoga they say, it’s easier for you when you are 50. I grab my dumbbells and start my workout. You are 50, they say, go easy on what you eat. I suddenly remember that I have a date with my best friend today at the Country Club, cannot wait to gobble on the Lobsters.
Inspiring your journey, one story at a time. #LifeFalcon.
What has age to do with lobsters? They taste as delicious, if not better.
I look at myself in the mirror and find a 20 something youngster smiling back at me. I know it is time to start afresh.
Table of Content
Starting over 50 – Age is all in your mind!
…and a bit in your body as well, it is how you look at it. If you wake up every day with a feeling of dread, not ready to face the world, then just take a moment to remember how privileged you are.
Some of us do not live to be that age, feel grateful, it makes the transition easier.
Are you the half-empty glass kind of person? Then it is time to change your outlook towards life. A more positive outlook towards life will make you feel a lot happier in the long run. Who wants a whimpering fusspot? Your friends will start avoiding you like the plague, for sure!
Your 50s are the perfect time to make changes in your lifestyle, in pursuit of happiness, health, and wellbeing.
So, let’s figure out what exactly we want from our lives and be thankful for this privilege. Enjoy the wrinkles, the scars, and the wisdom that comes with it.
Travel
Now is the time to discover all those strange and beautiful places, you never got a chance to see. I would go through pictures of beautiful places, of mountains, streams, hiking tracks, and make a mental note…someday I will have wings and will fly.
If you are financially secure then, what’s holding you back? Go out and see the places you have always dreamed of. Find a companion who is as excited to travel as you are. Traveling on your own is not such a bad idea too, gives you time for introspection, time to plan how to savor and relish the best years of your life. Start feeling the warmth of the sun, the breeze, and even the sound of your own laughter.
If you are grieving over a loss, feel the pain, cry over it, and then let it go when the time comes. Travel exposes you to new horizons and washes your mind clean of the had been.
Exercise
Now is the time, more than ever to grease those rusty joints of yours. They will surely remind you every day, how tired they are but pay no heed…. put them back into action.
The couch will beckon you and putting on those trainers would seem like a chore but remind yourself of this beautiful gift of life.
Give this tired body of yours a fresh start, do it for yourself now, not to look the best in your group of friends but to walk a little less like penguins.
The best part about the 50s is you stop worrying about what people think or say. You work on your body for yourself. No need to hold your breath and get into those skinny jeans. Stay comfortable in your clothes and your skin.
Learn A New Language
Do you find yourself slightly less sharp than you used to be? Remember, you have some amazing strengths which youngsters do not.
Does learning a new language seem almost impossible? You must know then that the brain is a powerful organ capable of responding and adapting to new stimuli.
So, give it that stimulation and go ahead, see yourself conversing in French, the next time you are in Paris.
Well, if you struggled with French at school, then it is time to think of a new project for you.
Volunteer
This is the age to make conscious decisions regarding your role in the community. Having lived half your life (half a century to be precise), I am sure by now you are aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, what makes you tick, what works for you and what doesn’t.
By now, you have given a lot of your time, energy, and resources to your family, your children (yes, the same children, who have not visited you in years). It is time to come out of your own comfortable home and give to society, give to humanity.
Slow down the pace of your work and life and free up some time for others. Put in your bit and feel that bliss of gratitude.
Make your life richer and more rewarding.
Make a beginning of what seems like the end.
Try Journaling
The first time I wrote something in my journal, was just to vent out my anger. I wrote and I cried, I cried, and I wrote, spewing expletives at no one in particular. It was on my 50th birthday and life had given me a long haul.
I came back to my journal after a couple of days and this time my words danced on the paper. I had decided to be fearless and life had finally turned a corner. My journal became my private space.
Maintaining a journal will give you a companion for life. Write down your fears, your dreams, your plans, and even your food cravings. (Better writing than downing)
You should have a pen which writes as fast as you think, for very soon your thoughts will strain to come out all at the same time.
When your pages start speaking to you, you will then fearlessly look forward to life and probably fall in love with writing.
Learn to Play an Instrument
Life is a bittersweet symphony as they say. Be a student again, learn a new instrument. Music is therapeutic and it has the beautiful ability to calm down the roars in your mind. Imagine the guitar strings to be the strings of your heart, it needs some tugging again.
According to researchers playing an instrument sets off a symphony of activity all over your brain. If you want to keep your mind sharp after 50, leave that couch and the remote control and pick up an instrument.
You are 50 and nobody can force you to learn something, you get to call the shots.
Have you always idolized guitar players in your youth? You perhaps always wanted to play the drums. Now is the time to make your musical dreams come true.
Not only will you get an adrenaline rush, but you will also find yourself letting go of hurt, guilt, anger, and all negative feelings. Music teaches you to love, it teaches you to spread love.
So, pick up that instrument and play to your heart’s content, and move like Jagger, maybe.
Start A Blog
And you thought it was just for the millennials? Well, you are in for a surprise.
People over 50 start connecting with the world through their blogs.
Flicking through social media, we think it is completely overtaken by the younger generation, but you will be surprised to know how many over 50 have successfully made their space there. Blogging is tribal, which means there is your tribe waiting out there, waiting to hear from you. They are the ones with common ideas and common values.
And you can do it at your own leisure and your own pace.
Your blog will be your sacred connection with likeminded people, sharing ideas, and encouraging each other.
Start your blog, find your happiness, and if you end up making some money, voila!
Meditate
Stop the movie going on in your mind. Stop those negative thoughts, stop asking yourself the same questions again and again. Your worries and your troubles repeat themselves in a loop, in your mind. That path of your mind is jammed with unanswered questions, grief over the loss of loved ones, and internal turmoil.
The chaos and disorder in your mind need to be blocked. It needs to stop, and you are the right person to do so.
One breath at a time, feel the power of universal energy. Did you know that deep inhale welcomes positivity and deep exhale throws out the negativity?
Get on your yoga mat, sit cross-legged, and focus on your breath. Clear your mind of all the thoughts and be mindful of the present. Most of the fear and worry in your mind is just there, in your mind. Meditate and ask yourself, is this my reality?
When you sit and meditate, you become kinder to yourself. You get to know your pain, focus better, and bring down your stress levels. Better than popping anti-depressant pills, don’t you think?
Your mind will soon stop screaming, it will quite down, and those 15 minutes will be the best ones of your day.
Reconnect With Friends
I came across an old picture in my mother’s diary and I was flooded with memories. Could not rest until I had made up my mind to get in touch with all those old friends again.
Bless the different social media platforms where I could search for and reach out to my old long-lost friends.
It is incredibly rewarding when someone you care for and love, comes back in your life. Old friends not only bring love and laughter back in your life, but they also remind you of the cyclical and passing nature of life. Each day is to be cherished with old friends.
Do not let them go now that you have found them. Call, meet, plan movies and outings, in short, just paint the town red. You can because you call the shots now, remember?
Move On
Anger and bitterness are crutches, they hold you back. Moving forward and moving on becomes impossible. How does it really matter who was to be blamed for whatever happened years ago?
You need to decide that if anyone wants to be bitter and angry then it is their life, you must drop this negativity and move on towards a more peaceful space.
Your bitterness has a long-lasting effect on your health, you must not let anyone or anything pull you down mentally or physically.
Move on and find your peace, it will make you glow at 50!
Declutter Your Life
There are moments when I stand staring at my cupboard, looking at the clothes in complete disarray, and wonder what happened to the old me. Why this mess? Why this clutter?
I needed to declutter and once I did that, I found peace, I felt light on my feet. A weight off my shoulders.
The cupboard still looks the same, so what did I declutter?
I decluttered my mental space first. (And of course, the cupboard too, later)
The truth is we all experience the occasional negative thoughts and they cling more as we move on to our 50s. But if you are feeling overwhelmed by them then you need to examine how these thoughts are impacting your life.
The solution is to be more mindful and to create space in our minds for inner peace and happiness. Declutter your mind, get rid of unwanted clutter so you can lead a peaceful, meaningful life.
And declutter your house, your living space, it creates a positive impact on your wellbeing.
Did you know…
Morgan Freeman was nominated for the best supporting actor in his film “Street Smart” when he was 50?
Andy Rooney started his “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” at the age of 59?
That is some food for thought!
At 50 life begins again.
The stuff you could not pursue when you were in your 20s(for good and not so good reasons), the things you might have been scared to do in your 30s, the stuff you were too busy to do in your 40s, now is the time to do it.
Am I old at 50?
Whoever told you that was unaware of the possibilities at 50. It is never too late in life. Things and circumstances change. It is up to you how you look at these changes and deal with them.
Fifty is just a number, the real age is in your mind and your heart. This is the age to start a new chapter of your life, to take it positively from there onwards.
Will I be the same physically, at 50?
This solely depends upon how you have been treating your body band your health much before you hit 50. It does not happen in a day, takes a good half a century for you to reach 50.
Have you been taking care of yourself these past years or just wasted all those wonderful years being a couch potato? Has the rat race giving you no time to take care of this beautiful mysterious body? Do you want to be fit at 50? Then start taking care of your health now.
Is it even possible to change my life at 50?
Most definitely because you are beginning a new and better phase of life. This is the time to live for yourself as you are nearly free of responsibilities.
Kids are grown up and conceivably good human beings, spouses are no longer demanding attention all the time (some do, yes, those insecure ones). Now is the time to do what you have always wanted to do. Make those dreams come true. Change your life for the better.
Can I change my career at 50?
Thinking of changing your line of work after 50? You sure can, provided you are ready to learn new things. Remember change is the only constant and you need to change with times. So, if you are ready for new beginnings, then go out and give your brains a good workout.
How do I set goals at after crossing 50?
This is the first step towards changing for the better at 50. Write down your plan and goals. Share them with your best friends or spouse.
You need to share your dreams so when its time to celebrate, it is a party. Plan your first step and from there on its an easy roll. Just be positive and things will work out in your favor.
