I’m 54. If You’re a Woman in Your 30s, 40s, or 50s, Read This Before It’s Too Late
The Two Skills That Unlock Joy, Freedom, and Your True Potential—No Matter Where You Are in Life
There’s something magical about being in your 50s. You carry the wisdom of the past, the battle scars of lessons learned, and the clarity to see what truly matters. But if I could step into a time machine and whisper one thing to my younger self—whether she was in her 30s, 40s, or even on the cusp of 50—it would be this:
Stop chasing. Start aligning.
I used to think life was about more: more doing, more achieving, more fixing. But the truth is, the key to transformation isn’t in doing more. It’s in understanding the two fundamental skills that most women overlook in the whirlwind of busy lives: learning and forgiving. These are the keys to unlocking everything you’re striving for but feel stuck trying to achieve.
What No One Tells You About Your 30s, 40s, and 50s
Let’s face it—being a woman in these decades is no cakewalk. In your 30s, you’re juggling careers, relationships, and maybe kids, trying to prove you can do it all. By your 40s, you feel the weight of expectations. You’re navigating the shifts in your body, your roles, and often your identity. And by your 50s, you’re staring down the crossroads, asking yourself, “Is this all there is?”
Here’s the truth no one tells you:
The frustration, the stuckness, the self-doubt—they’re not signs you’re failing. They’re signals. Signals that life is asking you to pause, reflect, and shift from reacting to understanding.
The 2 Life-Changing Skills Every Woman Needs
Learning: Know Thyself
This isn’t about learning another skill or how to ace a new diet. This is about learning from your life. Every challenge, heartbreak, and frustration is a mirror reflecting something about yourself.Ask yourself:
What am I meant to learn here?
What patterns keep showing up, and why?
When you stop seeing problems as obstacles and start seeing them as teachers, you unlock a powerful ability to grow beyond them.
Example:
I once worked with a woman in her 40s who constantly found herself overwhelmed by others’ expectations. She kept asking, “Why is everyone always taking advantage of me?” When she shifted to asking, “What am I doing to allow this?” she uncovered a lifelong pattern of people-pleasing. That realization set her free to create boundaries and finally prioritize herself.Forgiveness: Accept Thyself
If learning is about understanding, forgiveness is about release. It’s about letting go of the resentment, shame, and self-criticism that weigh you down. Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning what hurt you—it means refusing to let it hold you hostage.Start with small steps:
Forgive yourself for not being perfect.
Forgive others, not because they deserve it, but because you deserve peace.
Example:
In my 50s, I’ve learned that the hardest person to forgive is often yourself. I spent years beating myself up for things I couldn’t control—decisions I made as a young mother, the time I lost chasing the wrong goals. But forgiveness taught me to see those moments not as failures, but as stepping stones to the woman I’ve become.
Why These Skills Matter Now More Than Ever
Your 30s, 40s, and 50s are not just a timeline—they’re a journey. These are the years when your choices can either cement patterns of self-doubt or liberate you into your potential. Learning and forgiveness are the tools that create that liberation.
Here’s why:
Learning keeps you growing. It helps you break free from the same cycles that leave you feeling stuck.
Forgiveness lightens the emotional load, giving you the energy to focus on what truly matters.
Together, they create a powerful shift: You stop fighting against life and start flowing with it. And when you’re aligned, everything—health, happiness, relationships—begins to transform.
If I Could Tell My Younger Self One Thing
If you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s and you’re feeling like life is asking too much of you, here’s my message:
Life isn’t asking for more. It’s asking for less. Less judgment. Less perfectionism. Less clinging to the past.
Start by asking yourself two questions:
What is this moment teaching me?
What can I let go of to feel lighter?
These simple questions have the power to change everything. They did for me, and I believe they can for you too.
Your Next Step
You don’t need to wait until you’re 54 to figure this out. Start now. Take 5 minutes today to reflect on what life is teaching you and where forgiveness might set you free. Write it down. Sit with it. And most importantly, act on it.
Transformation doesn’t require a lifetime—it starts with one choice. Choose learning. Choose forgiveness. Choose you.
The Third: Be yourself. Warts and all because there never will be anyone like you. Authentic. 😉👏
This is the clearest explanation I’ve read on how to handle just about anything - setback, negative emotion, trauma - and come out the other side with peace. Thanks for that!