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Friday, May 15, 2015

Don't Worry About What Others Think

40 Tips To Re-Invent and Re-Launch at Age 40, 50, or Beyond. (Tip #1)

As the members of "Generation X" hit the big 4-0 and big 5-0, the time has come for us to take charge of our lives.  We were educated by the baby boomers and those who came before to expect a world that changed.  The reality of today is different than what we went to school to learn.  If we allow the expectations of others to hold us back from forging our own paths now, we may not get another chance.  

Now is the mid-point of life for Gen X.  This generation that was thought to be slackers are proving to be cunning entrepreneurs who make things happen. Those who are finding the most success are not worried about what others think, and instead are taking action.  

Those of us in this generation that is sandwiched between the Boomers and Millennials do not get the same amount of press coverage as those on either side, but we don't care.  We just do stuff and make things happen.

If you want to get a fresh start in your life or career at this middle age you cannot be worried about what other people think.  Very often we place our identities in our our job titles or other outside labels that are assigned by those around us.  You are a doctor, lawyer, husband, mother, etc....  Your past actions are what the world assumes your now is all about.  But in our hearts many of us know we are ready to re-launch.

None of us are any one single thing, and if we want to make a change in our life in our 40s or 50s we cannot be hung up on conclusions that other people have jumped.

It is easy to get caught in a role that begins to feel like a ever deepening hole. We wonder if we are too old to do something new. If you are seeking a fresh start that gets you closer to your real self, then you cannot be stuck in your past.  

Clearly your relationships with those closest to you matter as do their feelings.  But outside your family and closest friends, why in the world should you care how outsiders judge you?  We are being judged all the time and it does not matter one bit.

When I launched out on my own as a speaker many of my "friends" discussed how they thought I would fail in my quest.  While I might have failed (happily I have not), the journey of trying was the important thing to me.  I had longed to start my own business for many years, and if I had not done it at age 42, I am certain regret would have always been present.    

Hearing what others thought about my goals, especially those who secretly gossiped negative opinions (oh yes, if you say something bad about another person, even in confidence, rest assured they will hear of your sharp tongue) could have derailed the whole thing and sent me looking for a regular job.  But I did not care.  The time had come to own my dream.  My wife and kids were supportive, and that was all that mattered.

There will always be naysayers, and this stops many people from ever trying to go for a re-invention.  The time is now for Generation X to drop any assumptions, labels, and limits.  Today is about a fresh start.

Have A Great Day

thom singer  


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