HEY LADY! SMILE, COZ LIFE BEGINS AT 50.

School, tuitions, college, job, marriage, kids, family & more…. life was on a fast-track mode, very often giving us no opportunity to pause, think and review our automated direction. Many of us continue living lives that others wanted us to live. That is why, now breathe for a moment, smile …coz you are 50! Mark Twain said,” Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

At 50+ a lot of stress points like college admissions, securing a job, raising your children, investing money for your future is behind us. It is natural to feel relaxed when stress leaves your body- so let us relax and revel in the perks of being 50. All that it requires is a shift in our paradigm- instead of brooding over what has gone by, let us get excited about the possibilities that lie ahead since this is a phase of ‘ Me ‘ time. When it comes to staying young, a ‘mind lift’ beats a ‘ face lift’ any day!

In these last 50 years we had got so used to putting everyone and everything else first, that giving priority to the self often sent strong signals of guilt. Pavlov’s theory of ‘Conditioning’ had completely consumed us.

The magic begins at 50! Let us not think of it as the start to an end, rather the beginning of a brilliant phase. Do not forget, reaching 50 is a privilege denied to many… Now, anger is mellowed, the desire to get into conflicts is low, getting affected by what others say does not trouble you much and can often be a beautiful beginning to our ‘ Inward journey’ allowing us to choose our ‘ Outward activities’ and enjoy this ‘ Inside Outside’ engagement and relationship.

A peek in the mirror may show a few extra pounds and bulges, deepened laugh lines, and crow’s feet, which can actually nudge us to healthify ourselves, exercise, and begin a skincare routine. What the lifestyle in our younger days could not inspire us to do then, is getting started at 50! We create healthy recipes for ourselves, spend a few extra rupees on pampering our skin and get into yoga and meditation…the inside peace reflects on the outside and people begin to notice that glow. What a shift from cooking what the family wants and always buying what the family needs. We had tuned ourselves to stand last in the priority queue, so the shift in placing oneself right ahead is going to require effort to break many conditioned habits, though promises an exciting shift.

Hanging out with your friends, collaborating with like-minded people for a hobby, or turning a hobby into an enterprise brings renewed energy. Moreover, now you are smarter, more experienced, and even more adventurous to take more risks. Enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with a few or a group and not worrying about what the world thinks is a kind of freedom we deserve as we have earned it at 50+. Spending money on new hair color, a few trends, a good massage, vacation, or a spa staycation and smiling at the new svelte ‘YOU’ reflecting back from the mirror, reboot your zest to live life to the fullest.

Some of you may be young grandmothers at this beautiful age and spoiling your grandchildren without having the responsibility of disciplining them or attending to their daily chores is a joy which many count as the biggest perk of a 50+.

So, if you are feeling a little down about your grey hair, or a few rolls of extra flesh, children flying the nest, or leading a retired life, rethink a little differently. Throw off your inhibitions, break your self-imposed barriers, grab new opportunities, develop new hobbies, work on a new look, and altogether a new attitude. Let’s become that woman who goes hiking or dancing in her red shoes, splurges on crazy things, and puts herself first. What fun it is to be 50. Life begins when you decide to live it!