Midlife can be messy, jarring, brilliant, confusing, distressing, and freeing…all at the same time. It’s definitely NOT for Sissies.  But let’s face it, life has always been messy and beautiful and everything in between. You came here for the adventure of it. To experience ALL of it. And now, you’re 40ish (50ish, 60ish…or even 70ish). Life is changing. Life is change…again, and again, and again.

When a woman enters midlife (or comes crashing into it as I did), anywhere from 40ish and beyond, life changes in all sorts of ways. Midlife is kind of like puberty backwards…your body’s changing, nothing makes sense and you haven’t a clue what you want, you’re just a bit older this time. Or, you know what you want and have a wee bit of guilt and self-judgement around not being happy or completely satisfied with the life you have.

Life really does begin at 40. Up until then, you’re just doing research.

Carl Jung

We’ve often spent so much of our time caring for other people and other things, at the expense of ourselves, that when we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel we get blindsided. Hormones go haywire, emotions run wild, and so many things in life we once loved have simply lost their luster. There’s often a deep sense of restlessness and wondering, “what’s next, who am I now, who am I becoming and what the f^@k do I want!!”

The topping on this amazingly peculiar yet delicious recipe is that we live in a culture that glorifies youth. There’s a lot of energy, attention, and billions of dollars directed towards “anti-aging” products and messaging. Towards fighting and resisting this beautifully transformative place in life. I’m not suggesting we don’t take care of ourselves but true self-care begins not with what we put on our bodies, rather with what we put in our mind. Our thoughts. As a society we don’t like to look at our elder people; age is ugly. Seriously? Everybody breathes, everybody poops, everybody ages.

Age is beautiful. Old is a state of mind.

Tapping into the magic of midlife, the power and wisdom within you now, means allowing the discomfort, even welcoming it. Getting still and quiet. Listening, at last, to what you truly desire to be and do at this point in life and going for it, even if it feels scary. Listen girlfriend – if not now, when? What feels like losing your mind is actually your soul guiding you back to your authentic self. This takes courage, compassion, and grace. Midlife is NOT for sissies.

You’re here for the adventure of living this life as only you can. You’re here to soak up all the deliciousness, to experience the ups and the downs, and the sideways angles. Midlife isn’t a disease, a crisis, or the end of your life. It can be an amazing new beginning, if you want it to be.

Midlife is an evolution and a revolution

It’s time to stop living to please others. To celebrate and embrace a deeper sense of aliveness, on purpose. To look within yourself for those places calling for your love and attention. It’s time to embrace the lines, the grays, the restlessness and fear, and relax into your life. Accept what is, surrender the struggle, the hustle, the striving, and let life live itself through you.

Acceptance and surrender are not about giving up or giving in. They are the doorway to truly seeing yourself, perhaps for the very first time…as the beautiful, powerful, and freaking amazing wise woman you are! It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges or obstacles to move through either. It does means trusting your inner guidance, that deep, mighty inner wisdom, to navigate these challenges with grace, knowing that life is always supporting you. You become your own authority. You’ve got this!

Now, say this aloud with me: I am powerful. I am beautiful. I am wise. I am freaking amazing.

Maybe you start saying this every day. Then go and follow your heart. Create the life you imagined for yourself right now. You have everything you need to create it within you. It’s never too late to change your life.

From my wise and wild midlife heart to yours,