Changes at 50

Are you turning 50 soon? Are you already 50 or over? Does this age group consume you with worry? We know there will be changes in our life. We are now in the twilight of our existence. The concept of being old is forever belittled. We are instructed to stay young. We are told to make ourselves younger looking. Aging is not a term used wisely. There will be changes, however these changes do not need to be debilitating. Change is often seen as a scary business for anyone. Our old beliefs often present us with a crippling effect to our very being.

There will be many changes that will affect us. There are differences also from our generation entering this age group then our ancestors. We are living longer than our ancestors. We will discover that we still have a desire to contribute to society. The way our economic situation is, retirement and pension has not arrived in the terms that they had planned. This is the age group where some will find themselves widow or widower, after many years of marriage, and their life situation has completely changed. Others will discover their financial resources are not enough to live on comfortably. More times than not, they have arrived at a point in life, where life itself has caused upheavals to those ideals they believed in at a younger age. This can be frightening enough for anyone, but if we change our perspective we will discover aging will embrace us, not harm us.

With change, we need to prepare ourselves to change our attitude. . It is not uncommon to hear those who are 50 or older say, I am too old to change? If you are a senior citizen, perhaps this is a comment you too have relied on in defense of your action, but is this really truth? Are we too old to change? I know beyond theory this is a false belief. It is a good excuse, but nothing more. Change is all around us, and there is no age group exempted. In today’s world we must change some of our views, or we will fail, at living fully. Without personal change, there is only stagnation. If this is true, why then do so many senior citizens refuse to change? This actually is not an age dilemma, for I have seen this across-the-board in all age groups, however senior citizens seems to have acquired a nice wrapped package of excuses. The number 1 excuse is; I am too set in my way. .Realistically this belief is preventing them from moving forward in life.

This hub will address how people over 50+ can create change. The steps will be given, as well as explanation. The rest is up to you.

There is wisdom and honor in our aging. The western world does not see this, but there are still those who see the beauty of the wise ones. It is hard to make a buck on selling older people wisdom, so they keep telling us to look younger and act younger. What does this really mean?

I am still me, at any age. I have a thirst to live, and to explore life. This has never changed in me, and I doubt in you. We have though been honor with the passing of time, and we have gain some amount of wisdom. The majority of us have graduated with honors at the University of Hard Knocks.

What I know, from these hard lessons has value. If someone wishes to use me as a mentor, then I will be happy to oblige. You too have gone through this process. You do not need to succumb to the media wants for you. All they are selling is a box of empty lies. If you are not happy with your life, as you are, then make changes. You can color your hair, or any other materialist item to improve your outside, but it will never fill the hole in your insides. You have to honor all of you. I am still the wild, artistic and radical thinker that I was throughout my decades of living. I just have learned to tune it better, and honor myself for who I am. I will not be put in a box by the media and society.

We might believe that by the time you hit 50 the fear of not achieving would be gone. It is still around, and taps on our shoulders constantly. We though do have previous experience to know that we can create a change. There though is another factor here for this group; they already feel they have failed since their earlier plans now lay amiss. There best laid plans are not visible. They are in need of making adjustments to their current life, but are unsure how.

There are 50+ who currently are considering some element of change in their life. This could be starting a new job, relocating, or going back into the dating scene. There is no change that is too small or too large. Fear of change weighs heavy on you. You are afraid to try something new, because of a variety of reasons. All these reasons lead to fear of failure. Failure of achievement is one of the strongest underling fears that keep us stagnant. Why not try a new perspective? If I do not try, then I will remain stagnant. This equals failure. So how does one implement change?

First, we must take steps in implementing new structures in our life, by first learning what will work and what won’t work for us. It will serve you better, if you view all attempts as positive steps in learning what can and cannot work. This takes away the stigma of failing. We are not failing, we are learning what is not useful. Trial and error has always been the mark of success. What we are accumulating in this process are the methods, which will aid us in designing our own personal success. It is through trial and error that we discover the perfect blend of steps, which aids you in change. There will be times this blend will need to change. A certain method might not serve you will right now, and you will need to look for another technique.

The bottom line though is you have to set some goals, and make the effort, if you want to be in control of your own changes.

We been told that we are controlled by our DNA. Science has discovered this is false. The pharmacies though do not wish us to know this. I highly recommend listening to Bruce Lipton on You Tube, or buy his books. He is a scientist who will open your eyes. He has mine, and I am in the process of healing my knee from arthritis.

We must educate ourselves in those areas that we seek to change. We have vast resources to use in educating ourselves. I am particularly partial to Google and You Tube. We want to educate ourselves of the following areas:

1. Health is something we need to read up on. The medical and pharmacies are seeing profit in telling us we will get ill. I highly suggest that you read up on this, and make an educated opinion for yourself.
2. Goals in pursuit to learning a new hobby, or subject of interest. The mind is not to be wasted. Watching too much television does just that.
3. Educate yourself in any area that interests you. If you like art, study it. If you like music, start to make a music library.
4. Keep your mind busy in all areas that will increase your knowledge.
5. Read about people who are living life fully at the age of 50 and over.

There is a great tool to use as we progress in our changes. I highly recommend it to you. A notebook is a wonderful possession, when we use it as a journal. It is used to put in your daily thoughts and activities you have done. This is priceless, because you will see where you are progressing, and what areas you are not. You can tell where you are procrastinating. This measures my progress, and keeps me honest with myself. I can make changes, when I see fit, or discover an area that I am procrastinating, and dive into what is causing this. My journals also gives me the liberty to record freely my thoughts. I can use it to record my feelings and usually through using this process, I tend to find my courage to continue.

A small tape recorder can assist you in recording your ideas and to do list. This is often utilized when driving or out running errands. The Internet is another friend. You can research success stories of those who have overcome major obstacles in their life, or search for those who found success in their senior years. These stories will encourage you. You Tube is loaded with videos on any topic that would come to mind. I live on You Tube, for creative inspiration, and relaxation. As a senior citizen, you might wish to educate yourself on how people in our age group are changing their destiny. This can offer you endless inspiration, which we all need at times. Besides the Internet, the library has a wealth of biographies to borrow. The more we become aware that change does happen to all types of people, our excuses seem futile. The above steps will arm you with the information needed before you set out to change your world.

Change will not disappear. You can ignore it as long as you wish, but it always has away to remind you that it is there. Do not fall into the action of overspending your energy in denial. Your excuses will eventually attack you. In the end, avoiding change will cost you more than if you had taken those steps needed to produce the change. Learn to use your fears as a guidance tool, and they will benefit you. They are the guide maps to areas you will need help in, as you create the changes in your life.

If you are having a difficult time coping through these changes, I would suggest seeking help. You do not have to tackle your fears alone. A support system is there to help you get past your demons. A good therapist, life coach or friend can assist you. The more you educate yourself, you will become amazed to see that there are many who are doing exactly what you are. You will begin to enrich your life, with new people, events and goals.

If you have felt a nudge to start something new in your life, but believed you can’t change just realize that this is a false belief? Take the first step, get a notebook, and start planning your life. Set a few small goals, and research how to accomplish it. These steps can be very small at first. A new hair style, rearranging a room in your home, changing your wardrobe or cleaning out your garage, and limiting what you do not need any more, are great beginners steps. After you have accomplished that, move on to another goal. If it is to lose a few pounds, find what will work for you. If you need extra income, start to assess what you can do to bring that income home. Take your notebook and start viewing what needs to be changed, and how to go about it. You can do this! I wish you well on your path of reinventing the new you.