"I'm going to be fifty and fabulous January seventeenth." Michelle Obama.
Fifty & Fabulous! Thanks Michelle for dropping the title of my book in that announcement.
How about a little more free promo for a struggling author? Tuck a copy of my little pink book under your arm at your next photo shoot or carelessly toss one onto the corner of the big desk in the Oval Office. It might catch the eye of a visiting head of state. OK, I am dreaming in hot pink! But I do ponder Michelle's entry into the world of 50 + fabulousness.
Does turning 50 in the White House feel any different than say in a three bedroom split level in Surrey?
How do you relate to being newly fabulous when to most of us your life looks pretty darn fabulous already? I mean we have all seen her wardrobe, never mind the two great kids, the gorgeous hubby and two adorable dogs?
Can you get excited about a better life (life after 50) when you have peaked at the White House at 45?
I can't answer these questions for Michelle. Well, I could if she read my book, decided it was just the most amazing thing a 50 year old could read and called me up, but there I go dreaming in hot pink again.
However, I can share what I have learned in this aging journey.
The quality of your life is not dependant on the circumstances of that life but upon the attitude with which you receive the events which come your way
So even this smart, savvy, beautiful and famous woman with the super toned arms will have to check out the perspective with which she greets the next years of her life. Aging is a human condition but it advances free of human circumstance. Rich or poor, the top of the heap or the bottom, we will all age. It is the ultimate unchangeable in our lives.
So here you go Michelle, Happy Birthday- 5 Tips For Your Fabulousness
1.Ask yourself if your perspective on aging still serves you and those around you or do you need to explore for a new one?
Sometimes we get stuck with an old belief which we really have outgrown, defending and preserving something which no longer matches our values and the person we have become.
2.Reflect on your answers to these simple questions.
What do I know now that I did not know when I was younger?
What do I feel now that I did not feel when I was younger?
What do I do now that I would not have dared to do when I was younger?
3.Evaluate life after 50 with criteria which are appropriate to the stage of life.
There is a new set of criteria for the 50 plus years which more accurately measures this wonderful stage of human development. It is a mistake to use the performance based criteria of mid life to measure life after 50 because life after 50 is richer, broader and deeper.
4.Consider, if you are going to live 45 years past your 50th birthday, what would you like your contribution to life to be during those years?
A sense of purpose is one of two factors which have the greatest impact on longevity.
5.When you realize how rich and exciting this stage of life can be...connect with others and share it.
Ageism is a real threat and to stop it we need to share a different story about life after 50.