Women Over 50: What’s important to you? When you read that question, what’s the first thing you think of? Maybe it’s your home, your children, your spouse or partner, your kitty, your work. It could be any number of things. Has the answer changed as you’ve gotten older? Is it changing right now?
What Are Important Changes
I believe that, for many women, what’s important to us begins to change in our late forties, into our sixties and beyond. For some women, their children have left home or are about to. And although most mothers stay concerned about their children for the rest of their lives, the daily demands become less and less. But whether or not we have children, I think the reprioritizing of what’s important occurs for all women at this time in their lives. Many may choose to ignore the nudgings for a variety of reasons, but I believe the silent messages are there.
This is part of the natural maturing process for a woman, and it’s very important to pay attention to those urges when they occur. If you ignore them, you risk stagnating and settling into exactly what society is loudly telling you – “You are an old woman!”—with all the baggage that comes along with that for most people.
I have noticed that, as I’ve gotten older, my friends have become even more important to me. They always were, but that importance seems to grow every year.
Another Nudge
The question about importance rose top of mind, again, when I recently read a message from the Dalai Lama. It was published in 1998, so he probably wrote it sometime before that, but it struck me how applicable to our times it remains:
“In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged.” (The Path to Tranquility, Penguin Books India, 1998, page 221)
This realization in whatever form, occurs for many women as they get older. Many of the women I work with are asking, “What’s next?” They are ready for something more. They’re wondering about their legacy. They want to feel more fulfilled, more excited about life, as if they’re making a difference.
And this difference doesn’t necessarily need to be something on a grand, global scale. It might be making a difference in the local schools, or in the issues of homelessness, affordable housing, or hunger in the community. They feel they have more to give, and they’re ready to step forward and begin.
Now Is The Time
And with everything going on in the world today, I believe now is the time when women need to step up and step out and offer their experience and skills. The world desperately needs older women’s wisdom right now, and we cannot sit on the sidelines and watch and fret. As the Dalai Lama said, we must become actively engaged.
If any of this resonates with you, or if you disagree with what I’m saying, I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below.
Women Over 50: What’s Important To You? It is our time. Now is the time for us to make our power further felt in the world.
Learn More…
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To learn more about Prime Spark, go to www.primesparkwomen.com.
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