Turning 50 and Life is Still Good. Putting 50 into action
Happy birthday to me! Today I am turning 50 and life is still good, phew. Yeah, I know, some people freak out with the idea of turning 50 because it is a big number and changes happen to our lives and bodies. However, the reality is that our lives and bodies have been changing every day since we were born and that it is something we can’t stop from happening.
For this reason, I have decided that instead of focusing on the changes that are part of being alive, I will focus on all my blessings plus the great things I have accomplished and learned, the things I am accomplishing right now and the things I plan to accomplish in the years to come.
Stop freaking out. At 50, life is still good
We all know that life is not easy, no matter what age we are. We all have had our ups and downs, our challenges, fears, dreams, and goals when we were kids, teenagers, at our twenties, thirties and forties. So guess what, at the fifties, it is not going to be different. We also know that life is short, sometimes and sadly, very short for some people. This means, that if we have made it through 50 or more, we have to celebrate it. Most importantly, we have to embrace it with full energy because if we enter on the list of the life expectancy average, we will have about three more decades ahead of us.
Yes, that is right! If we are one of the lucky ones, we can have 30 more years to enjoy everything life has to offer. Have we ever thought about what we can do for 30 more years? For me, the first thing is to focus on positive feelings.
Feelings to focus on when we turn 50
Hitting the so-called F word for fifty can make us have a combination of sweet and sour feelings. The point is, where do we want to focus on, the sweet or the sour? I have decided to focus on the sweet and just try to control and even laugh about the sour feelings
Sweet feelings:
- Blessed: for being alive and healthy and for my amazing and beautiful family
- Thankful: For every single one of the 18,250 days of my life, for my family, my friends and every person that has touched my life or has let me touch theirs in a positive way. For the countless opportunities that life has given me so far. For all the happy moments and not so happy moments that had thought me a lesson to grow or to appreciate more what I have
- Happy: to be here right now doing what I want to do, surraunded by the people I love the most
- Loved: by my family and friends. Thank you so much! I love you too!
- Beautiful: inside and out, even with all the changes of my body
- Proud: for everything I have accomplished personally and professionally. When we reflect on our lives, it could be easier to see the glass half empty instead of half full. Let’s take the time to think about all the good things we have achieved: the big ones and the little ones that can be more valuable than the big ones
- Excited: to see what I can do with the three decades ahead. There is so much to do, learn, and enjoy. There is so much love and help to give to others
- Empowered: to keep dreaming and doing whatever I want to do to feel fulfilled. There is no age limit to follow our dreams
- Hopeful: that life will still be good even with the ups and downs. Hopeful to always have the capacity to focus on the sweet feelings and not on the sours
How to survive the big five zero birthday and put it into action:
To make it easy, I divided the number fifty into two digits 5 and 0.
For the number five, I want to live by these 5 rules:
- Be thankful to God for every single day of my life and appreciate everything I have
- Take care of myself and love myself with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Love others the same way and take care of them too
- Smile and laugh as much as possible. Have a good sense of humor. This is the best therapy. Read my blog about “Smile“
- Be myself and not pretend to be someone else
- Enjoy life, the big things and most importantly, the little things. These are the ones which worth the most. Read my post about putting the word “Enjoy” into action.
For the number zero I want to commit myself to have:
- Zero negative feelings or thoughts that can put me down
- Zero stress about the things I can’t control
- Zero tolerance to toxic people
- Zero telling to myself that I can’t do something I want to do because yes I can!
- Zero comparing with somebody else
Conclusion
Stop freaking out because life at 50 is still good. I feel more alive than never before, even with all the conditions a dear friend already diagnosed me. She told me that I am already suffering from GTS, CRS, and CSS, and that more conditions similar to those will start appearing from now on. Have you ever heard about these conditions? Well, me neither until she “kindly” explained to me. GTS: Going to S*** CRS: Can’t Remember S*** and CSS: Can’t See S***.
When I get comments like that one is when I need to use my good sense of humor and laugh until it hurts. Yes, I would indeed love to feel and look “forever 21,” but unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. We all know we can’t be forever 21. After 29 years from my 21st birthday, I look and feel different, but my attitude toward life today is much better. I have, among other things, more maturity, experience, and some more wisdom. Only these three things make me have a beautiful “good look” to start my fifties.
Happy birthday to all the people turning 50! Life is still good!
Do you know what else or who else is celebrating 50 this year? Be curious and check this link.
Here is a question for you:
- Which five rules do you want to live by?
Here is a link of an interesting TEDx Talk that can help us learn how to learn. Please take the time to watch!
A woman over 50: A Life Unleashed | Connie Schultz | TEDx Cleveland State University
Here is another great video about turning 50 that is a little long but worth watching.
The happiness curve: Why life gets better after fifty a book discussion with author Jonathan Rauch
Easy to download, high resolution image to print at home or favorite local or online print shop in any of the following sizes: 5 x 7, 8 x 10, 11 x 14, 16 x 20 and 18 x 24. To download, click the green bottom bellow.
6 Comments
Jose J. Bruzual
Encouraging and very positive.
Eliana Cordoba
Thanks Jose, it is great to know you liked it.
Lilia
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of the most beautiful cousins I have!
You are such and inspiration… and you will never look 50+ to me!
You are more than a number, you are part of the best memories I have.
Hope to see you in Australia (sometime in those 30 years you have ahead) to celebrate and laugh until in hurts.
Love you,
Lilia
Eliana Cordoba
Thanks Lilia! You are the best! I would love to go to Australia, but let’s not wait until then to talk and laugh until it hurts, lol
Wendy Sumrell
Welcome to the club my friend. 50 looks great on you. Rock it and be your best self ever. Great blog.
Eliana Cordoba
Thank you Wendy. I have heard this is an awesome club, so I am very happy to be part of it 😉