Age Comes, But So Does Wisdom

Summary

The article discusses personal growth and the journey to self-love and confidence that comes with age and experience, despite physical signs of aging.

Abstract

The author reflects on the paradoxical experience of aging, where outward signs like wrinkles and skin changes contrast with feeling younger and more self-assured internally. Emphasizing the 40s as a transformative period, the author shares a personal narrative of evolving self-perception, from self-doubt to pride and the belief in one's ability to achieve anything. This transformation is attributed to a 20-year journey of self-improvement, resilience, and self-discovery, involving hard work, setbacks, and the continuous pursuit of personal goals. The article encourages readers to embrace the challenges of personal growth, acknowledging that becoming one's dream self is not easy but is achievable through perseverance and a willingness to break down and rise anew. The author inspires confidence in the reader's potential, urging them to shed excuses and step into their power as the future they aspire to be.

Opinions

The author feels that the 40s can be the best decade of one's life in terms of personal growth and self-acceptance.
Physical signs of aging are acknowledged, but they do not define the author's sense of self or diminish their internal youthfulness.
Self-love and pride are the results of a long-term commitment to self-improvement and overcoming life's challenges.
The process of personal growth is described as being full of trials and errors, but each setback is seen as an opportunity for a more valuable solution and deeper self-knowledge.
The author believes in the power of self-talk and positive affirmations as tools for achieving one's goals and building self-belief.
There is an emphasis on the importance of resilience and the ability to rise stronger after each fall.
The author holds the conviction that each individual has the potential to become someone they love and are proud of, regardless of failures or the ravages of time.
The article conveys a strong message of empowerment, encouraging readers to take action and become the person they envision themselves to be, free from excuses.

Learning to love yourself can be a painful process, but worth it

Image by author

I don’t want to admit it, but this year has aged me.

At the same time, miraculously, I feel younger inside. But my DNA ain’t havin’ it. Wrinkles have set up camp. Skin finally got gravity’s memo, sent long ago. Belly fat thinks it’s going to move in for the long haul (sorry, belly fat — you’re not).

I’ve got to be honest, aside from any life challenges that have come up in the last few years, the 40s have been the best decade so far.

I never imagined I’d feel so comfortable in my own skin. Pride in myself has become my new way, my new normal. Whereas before, I thought fairly little of who I was and what I was capable of. Now I know I can accomplish anything…

It has been a methodical 20 years; full of imagining my better self, striving for better, finding new ways to achieve my goals, and learning how to believe in myself. Lots and lots of self-talk…

I’ve gotten here, to this place of pride and self-love, not by walking the comfortable path, but through effort, sweat, cuts, and bruises. Through many phases where I just had to break down and learn how to get up newer and better than before.

This sort of growth makes you stronger. No matter how many times you must break, each breakage brings a more valuable solution, a deeper knowing of self, a more possible YOU.

Don’t lie to yourself and say that becoming your dream-self will be easy. Tell the truth: sometimes you have to come to the brink of your understanding to know there is a field out beyond your imagination…one you want to go to. One where you can create anything you desire. One where you can become someone you love, someone you’re proud of, beyond reckoning.

I’ve seen that field of possibility many times. I’ve walked it. I’m walking it, even now, on both good days and bad. I believe we can all get here. I believe that no matter how much we fail, we will still get up, in the end. I believe that even as time ravages us, the embers within grow hotter and more capable of making things.

You are the future you hope for. You are the light you’ve been praying for. You are the strongest self you never thought you’d be.

Now, beautiful, capable human…get up from the floor. Get up and shake off those old excuses and become the fire. Become the person you know, somewhere within you, that you can be.

I believe in you.

Melissa Raise is the owner of Raise the Bar Wellness. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Health Coach, and Licensed Massage Therapist with 18 years of experience helping people become more comfortable and successful.