“It’s never too late to become what you might have been.” – George Eliot
For a lot of women, the age of forty is a crucial life threshold. It is that point in life wherein they have already accomplished most of their dreams and have saved enough money for a secure retirement later on.
Their life no longer revolves around proving themselves to other people, keeping up with responsibilities, and creating stability. At forty, the possibilities are endless, and living is about pursuing one’s true desires and being genuinely happy. Forty is the perfect time for a fresh start or a reboot.
As exciting as this may seem, it can be quite scary as well — changes often are. However, with an optimistic and strategic approach, a new and more fulfilling life can truly begin at this age. Life experts advise taking small steps and implementing changes in all aspects of life.
So, if you are about to turn forty and you want your years ahead to be focused on becoming your genuinely happy self, here are some tips for launching you into this path.
Table of Contents
1. Improve your health
This has got to be the most common goal among women nearing or in their forties. At this age, all kinds of health issues start coming to the surface. Hormonal problems due to the onset of menopause, for example, spawn weight problems. Many women also find that due to their fluctuating hormones, they are prone to pimples yet again.
Therefore, improving one’s health is very much a necessary change to make for a reinvention. However, it works better to ease into a healthier lifestyle instead of going full-force at once.
If you have been a couch potato for the last 39 years of your life, starting with taking daily walks for cardiovascular health and weight management is usually more effective than creating an elaborate workout plan. Likewise, opting for healthier options is more doable than reducing food intake and banning certain foods. A better sleep is also important to improve one’s health.
2. Invest in convenient solutions
When you’re financially independent and stable, make convenience a priority. Use your resources to make your life so much easier. For example, instead of doing your own facials, start getting professional ones, which are most likely better at delivering the results you want.
Or, if daily exercise still cannot make your body firm and toned, why not aid it with slimming therapy that you can get at an aesthetic center? Remember the words of Gary Vaynerchuk, “work hard and work smart.”
3. Create a different routine
One of the pillars for a successful reinvention is to establish a new routine. Think carefully about how you can deviate from the way you used to go about your days.
If you used to work six days a week, cut it back to five days a week. If you always work late, put a halt to that unless you have to. Make time for enjoyable learning and fun hobbies. Also, set aside more “me” time. You may also want to start waking up earlier and getting some exercise and a healthy breakfast.
This may not seem like much, but it will have a snowball effect toward your goal of reinvention.
4. Dress better
Changing your clothing style can do wonders for your self-esteem and improve your daily preparation. Plus, it may be a requirement considering how you’ve been making improvements with your health.
However, do not just go to the mall to shop for new clothes to put into your wardrobe. Consider working with a stylist. Such a professional will study your personality to determine your true style. At the same time, she can suggest the outfits that are not only flattering to your body but go well with your lifestyle, too.
5. Create a vision board
It’s important to have a visual representation of what your ideal life is like. This will allow you to put what you need to accomplish out there and monitor how your life is progressing toward the quality of living that you want.
There’s no wrong or right with creating a vision board. Just find images and messages from magazines that reflect your goals and can provide you the encouragement you need to achieve your goals. Let visualization work its magic, and in time you will see yourself becoming the version of yourself that you have always wanted to become.
6. Track yourself
Always evaluate your progress. This is a must in ensuring that you are doing what you are supposed to do for self-improvement.
Create different trackers in your planner or journal and mark them every day based on your implementation of plans or execution of practices that you want to develop into habits.
7. Work with a mentor
Even if you already have a wealth of experiences and lessons to work for your life reinvention, you can still benefit from the guidance of a mentor.
The primary advantage of working with a mentor is you have someone who is looking at your life from the outside. Therefore, she can analyze the different aspects of your life that could use some tweaking. Plus, a mentor can suggest sound methods that you can implement to ensure the development of the person you are working on to become.
8. Continue learning
Develop a personal culture of learning and be deliberate about growing your knowledge. Life education will invigorate you. It will present new challenges that will help you see what you are truly capable of. This is vital in building confidence for an uncertain future.
Also, when you continue to learn, particularly by taking classes, expect to create new connections. You can make new friends that can bring dynamism and excitement to your life.
Self-improvement gurus also point out that the pursuit of knowledge can create a sense of continuity in life. Wherever life takes you, your commitment to learning will help you adjust or come into acceptance better with the changes in your situation and continue moving forward.
There you have them, eight tips that can help life begin again and in a beautifully different way, at forty. But, these tips are not only applicable to women in their flourishing forties. Anybody who needs or wants to make a fresh start can use them to grow into the new and better version of themselves.
AUTHOR BIO
Vandana Luthra founded VLCC in New Delhi, India as a beauty and slimming services centre in 1989. Today, it is widely recognized for its comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products and services and also enjoys a high level of consumer trust. The VLCC Group’s operations currently span 330 locations in over 150 cities and 14 countries across Asia and Africa.
