Remember, when you were 8, you used to think people in their 20’s were old. And then when you were 16, it became people in their 30’s. Now as we get older, it turns out that age is just a number. We can be as old or as young as we act, bodies be damned.
And so, I sit on the precipice of my 35 birthday. Staring into this year that is not a milestone, aside from the fact it is divisible by five. Who cares about 35? Is it really any different from 34. People have told me 40 is the age that things really start to change. Do they? Or is it that 40 is when things changed for a few people and they talked about it, and it became a milestone.
The thing that birthday’s do is they bring forth the stark reality that we aren’t where we thought we’d be. Good, bad or ugly, there are things in your life that aren’t where you thought they would be at whatever age you are. There are things that are better than you could have imagined. Moments in time, experiences, or feelings that wouldn’t have existed if you had followed the original path you had set for your life – if you were a planner at a young age like me. Always a Girl Guide, always prepared – or at least prepared enough to be dangerous.
There are life milestones I thought I would have hit by now, and there are life milestones I can’t believe I hit already. Staring down the barrel of 35 I have discovered that it is okay to say “SCREW THE PLAN!” The plan is just that, a plan. Plans go off course, and we become better versions of ourselves for it. I’ve been able to stare down 35 and decide that no matter what I thought I would accomplish by now – and haven’t, and no matter what I never imagined I would have done – and have, these have all added to me. I’m not the Christy of 6, 16, 24 or even 30 – I’m the Christy of now.
Like a snake, we shed our skins when we outgrow the previous version of ourselves, in order to make room for this bigger, brighter version. It doesn’t mean changing your life vision every 365 days, it means being open to the fact that your vision, with age, is getting blurry, and only with new experiences will the objects in the mirror start to gain dimension, clarity and purpose.
It’s my birthday this week, and I want to give you a present! Join the Mind Set #GrowthZone by signing up to the mailing list, and not only will you get my goal clarity eBook for FREE, you will also get one 30 minute, one on one coaching session with me for FREE – You need to sign up before February 6th and follow the prompts in order to get the FREE coaching session.