Loving myself at 50

I am facing a period of immense growth and shedding in my life. A period where I am grateful to have reached 50 years old and realizing with great clarity that I do not need to carry excess baggage with me that no longer serves me. Life is really short.

When I look at myself in the mirror I still see the young girl who wanted to be accepted and validated and cried out to be all things to all people. But what I am also seeing is the mature woman who has been round the block a few times. Who has seen people come and go. Who has made decisions and mistakes along the way that have led me to where I am today.

And what I also know is that no matter how much people try to bully me into being someone who I am not. People who think they can guilt me into being someone they want, those days are done. I am who I am. I am not asking anyone to remain in my life. I am not trying to be anything to anyone except who I am.

For those of us who have crossed the 50 mark, what we realize is that life is quickly ticking along for us and what we need and want in our lives are people and events that add to our experience rather than take from it. What we also know is we are who we are and at 50 we are not changing for anyone. We become more cemented in who we are. And we do not have the desire to acquiesce to everyone else’s demands.

Life truly does begin at 50. It has launched me into embracing my authentic self more than ever before and it is because I know I was sent here to be me.  To teach and learn. To take responsibility for me. For all the decisions I make. The mistakes I make because at this age what I am learning is each mistake is actually the Universe nudging me to move in another direction and the only way it could show me was for me to tumble. So I accept mistakes now as game changers. As nudges from the Universe to alter my path. To be authentically me.

I am loving every minute of being 50 because I am finally brave enough to be who I am. And as my quote of the day reminds me, “Loving myself gives me the extra energy to work through any problem more quickly. My life is a labour of love.” And I am so glad that 50 has given me the confidence to be who I am even more than I ever could be in the past.