They are Only Thoughts
Fixing the mindset of women over 50…
I find that many women over the age of 50 that I know are looking to redefine their lives in some way. They may be ready to leave the job they’re in, but not ready to retire yet.
Some are starting new careers and running half-marathons. The sky is the limit. Or is it?
The sky is certainly the limit if you are a woman who possesses a growth mindset. Most women over 50 are quite often in danger of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset.
A person with a fixed mindset believes that their skills or lack of skills are fixed and ingrained. A person with a growth mindset knows that they can always “learn things” regardless of their natural strengths and weaknesses.
One of top mindset thoughts for women over 50 is “I’m too old to _______”. They may say something like, “I’m 58. Do you think this program would be appropriate for me?” What they’re really asking is “Am I too old?”
There’s only one thing that we are too old for and that is to decide that we are too old to let the days just flow into each other without living our joy and our purpose.
It might surprise you to know that the fastest growing segment of the worldwide population is persons who are 100 years old and older. That is too many years to not be living the life you are excited about every day.
Many of us are still working, along with helping to care for grandchildren or senior parents. Our daily schedule may be full. If you are in this situation, challenge yourself to track exactly how you spend your time. Write it down. I’m sure you will find that you have an hour or more that you can spend doing something you enjoy or working on your dream or passion.
A lot of us suffer from “imposter syndrome” — that voice in your head that tells you that you don’t have what it takes to start a business, run a half-marathon, retire or whatever you’re dreaming about.
The issue is that, when we listen to our fixed mindset thoughts, we don’t take action on our dreams. We stop learning. We stop challenging ourselves. We believe we can’t so we don’t even try. The I’m too old to ____” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We prove ourselves right.
This can lead to stagnant feelings. Feelings of purposelessness. A lack of joy in our lives — which can lead to depression. That’s a scary thought for all of us.
Our brains want to keep us safe and keep the status quo. When you find yourself entertaining fixed mindset thoughts, it’s important to remind yourself that these are just thoughts.
We should thank our brains for keeping us safe and take action to living our dreams and passions in spite of the thoughts. They are only thoughts.