It took a “64 years young” lady
I went to a cocktail party some time ago; it was part of the opening for a real estate event. And there, I met a lady. She was glowing, so feminine and fit, stylish, beautiful, confident. I’d bet everyone in that room noticed her vibe! I just knew that I wanted to speak to her, maybe she wouldn’t mind sharing some of her secrets with me.
With a friend who knew her a little, we went to introduce ourselves, then kind of had a conversation with her. She was happy to share with us, but when she told us that she was 64, honestly, I was shocked. That woman looked to me as if she had even more than another 80 years ahead of her!
Gosh! I was impressed and so inspired! And I promised a lot to myself that day.
I remember a teacher I had at university who was the first person to impact me in that way. Back then, he had just turned 50. The way he approached his new decade was so insightful as he was sharing his perspective with the whole class. He looked good and confident; he still does actually, but he’s also now a friend on IG so let’s not make this unnecessarily weird lol… If he is reading this: “Profe, thank you🙏!”. I swear left the classroom that day with a renewed mindset (and a clear idea of the hairstyle I want for when I’ll hit my 50s😉, God willing).
Do you also have pictures or ideas of what you’d like to look like in your 50s, 70s, 80s, etc.? The kind of person you would like to be? The mindset or attitude you would like to display at those ages? It’s fun though! …Or am I rushing things😅?
I believe it’s always a good idea to plan. God remains the boss over what we can’t control, but there’s nothing to lose in planning for things that we actually can positively implement, concerning us. We can plan to enjoy a better quality of life, and of self. Doing so helps us adopt healthier habits daily that can bring us closer to our goals.
The truth is, when you start taking actions to maximize your life, your tolerance for situations that breed drama, negativity, envy, controlling or disrespectful behaviors, and so on, will drop drastically. And in consequence, some bonds may grow closer, some will fade away. New ones will naturally come around, aligned with your journey. Some might come as well that do not align, but I’ll trust we’ll discern wisely and strengthen our boundaries (we eventually learn). Next thing that may happen is that your time will become your most precious asset; so, the way you spend it, the people you spend it with, will matter greatly.
It takes discipline though...
Of course! That lady’s glow and vitality have to be the result of deliberate effort! Nobody is just “born that way”.
She probably had to discipline her mind to reflect that much positivity. She obviously had to value herself a lot, demonstrate resilience, do her workouts, and all it took for her to become that gorgeous and impressive 64 young flourishing lady.
To be honest, I wish I had understood this earlier. I wish I had started working on myself right away as a teenager, instead of being distracted by boys’ attention, having a boyfriend, platonic friendships, gossips, and so on. Well, we all the girls in my community were distracted, we didn’t know any better. However, I don’t regret anything. The past is always the place from which the present can learn for the future. I just hope the young’s coming across this article take the heads-up!
Even though we all may have different purposes on Earth, I strongly believe that the basic and common one we all share is to do our best and do the most with anything given to us: our gifts and talents, our body, our mind, our different resources, our life itself.
I became more aware of the importance of this after understanding better one of the stories that Jesus-Christ told (look it up this way if you won’t mind: “parable of the talents”). This made me believe that we’ll be held accountable for our time, for the way we choose to see things (our mind), for our body, our skills, (nature, the planet👀), whatever we’ve been given, whatever is entrusted to us. I learn in that story that we ought to improve and prosper them, we ought to take good care of them. When came the time to answer for those assets, those who failed to improve and multiply them ended up losing what they had, and those who did that were trusted with even more.
Basically, we’re all responsible (response-able) at least for ourselves. And it seems like those who take that job seriously, like that lady, have a particular glow around them that keeps inviting life.
When it comes to assessing my own life, I don’t spend too much time in my head. Mostly, I seek first within my heart. I start simply with what’s already there inside, the desires I hold for each aspect, then I write them down to pray over them. In other words, I have a heart-to-heart talk about them with God, fully believing that He listens and will put in my path me what’s best for me at the right time. (Okay, I just can’t afford not to invite God into all my business. I can’t allow myself to miss THIS MUCH out!). Meanwhile, I ready myself. I may define some action plans, whether it is to wake up or to sleep earlier, to enroll in a specific program, reading certain books, attending specific events, etc. Along the way, I can also identify which opportunities I should say yes to, which ones I have to say no to, or probably pass on to other people who might need them more than I do.
In sum, it’s certainly an interesting journey to collab with our Maker, assuming and improving ourselves.
Better us, better vibe, better health, better life! I’d always cheer for that🥂!
Good article Abi. I am in my 60s and I am trying my best to be holistically healthy
Wooow, amazing! Definitely keep that mindset up, thanks for sharing🌹!