Let’s be honest – if you’ve made it to your 50s and are still letting other people’s opinions dictate your life, bless your heart … but also, we need to talk.
There comes a point – usually around the time you realize you’ve spent half your life in fluorescent lighting and hidden in a cubicle that wasn’t quite as private as you wanted – when the soul starts whispering, “… is this it?” And if you’re really paying attention, that whisper turns into a full-blown GET ME OUTTA HERE scream.
This, my friend, is your cue. Your call to action. Your divine nudge to step off the hamster wheel, burn the rulebook and forge your own damn path. Not your mother’s. Not your boss’. Not your 10th grade Teacher. Not Karen-from-Accounting’s opinion of what’s “realistic.” YOUR path. YOUR calling.
Caring What Others Think? Nah, We’re Good.
Here’s the thing: people will always have opinions – and they are totally entitled to them. They had something to say when you wore shoulder pads in the ’80s and they’ll have something to say when you decide to start a candle-making business out of your Caravan at 55. Let them talk. They’re going to anyway (but maybe give them something to talk about).
You know what’s not going to happen? They’re not going to live with the regret if you don’t follow your heart. That’s only you.
So why hand the steering wheel to a backseat driver when you’re the one with the destination? And a little reminder – the journey is just as fun.
Your Power Isn’t Lost – It’s Just Been on Snooze. And here’s your Reminder.
If you’ve forgotten how powerful you are, it’s not because you’re not. It’s because you’ve been conditioned to prioritize being nice, reasonable, responsible and invisible. Eeew. Enough of that.
There is nothing more magnetic than a woman who has remembered who she is. Who’s done performing. Who knows she’s got something to say, something to give and refuses to dim it for comfort or worse – to make others feel better. Yuck!
That kind of power? It doesn’t ask for permission. It doesn’t apologize for taking up space. And it definitely doesn’t wait for someone to give her a seat at the table – she builds her own damn table and brings wine. Or vodka …
The Work That Lights You Up? That’s the Work You Were Born For.
You don’t have to justify why painting dogs in Renaissance costumes brings you joy. Or why coaching other women out of burnout lights a fire in your belly. If it fuels you, that’s the clue.
We weren’t put on this earth to suffer through 8-to-6s we hate just to enjoy two weeks of freedom in Fiji. We’re here to live – boldly, freely, lit up from the inside out.
So do the work that makes your soul hum. The stuff that keeps you up at night with excitement, not dread. That’s your zone. That’s your magic. That’s your legacy.
Final Sass Bomb
Here’s the truth: The path may not be straight. It may not be paved. And it definitely won’t be lined with rainbows and unicorns (bummer, right?) It may require hiking boots and a flask of tequila. But it’s yours – and that makes it sacred.
So go. Be bold. Be brave. Be the woman who chose herself.
Because that’s damned powerful. Time to own it.
Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay