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What I have Learned
Since I Turned 40
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Published by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee
Sunday, January 27, 2002
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Hard
to believe that two years ago I turned 40. I told everyone
that when a person turns 40 they know everything. And to
some degree I was right. I now know that to know everything
is impossible and more than likely would be boring. Actually,
I have learned that the older I get and the more I know,
I realize how little I do know.
This
week, when I turned 42, I found myself reflecting on what
I have learned in the last two of years. Here are a few
things I have learned since I turned 40:
One
is never too old to act young.
Giving up what others think about me brought incredible
freedom.
Being respectful of what others think and still doing
what I want is an art.
Looks may fade, but the beauty of life never has to.
Best friends dwindle, but the quality increased.
Although I am older, I still have so much to learn.
I
find myself enjoying life more and worrying less since I
turned 40. I still have moments of insecurity and fear,
but they are fleeting opposed to when I was younger. Getting
people to like me isn't as important as it use to be. Making
a difference in the world and the people I meet has jumped
to the top of my list. Although I plan to live to be 120,
at least according to the life line I drew out, the end
is closer than it use to be and I am beginning to have best
friends and family die. Mortality has become real unlike
when I was in my 20's. I realize that life doesn't go on
forever, there are limits to what I can do physically and
that there are no limits to what I can dream and create.
Life
continues to get better. It makes me wonder why so many
people dread getting older. I am thankful for each additional
year I get to spend here knowing the end is all too near.
Life is about living and learning and I have discovered
that as long as I continue to learn, I continue to enjoy
living.
Coaching
I
look forward to each day because I know it is a gift without
guarantee. As the years go on, I feel blessed to have this
opportunity to help shape and influence the world in my
own personal way. We each make a difference and we are each
here for a reason. As long as we are here, we have the opportunity
to become the change we want to see. Being who we are and
sharing that with the world has a greater impact than we
can ever imagine.
Happy
Birthday to every one! Each day, we have the opportunity
to begin anew and dream and create. Each day can be a "birth"
day because each day can be the day we begin to bring ourselves
out into the world and begin again.
Daily
Success Formula
Each
new day = Gift + Opportunity + Birth of new ideas
Quotes
"It
was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder
and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping
hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'" Sam
Levenson
"People
are always asking me when I'm going to retire. Why should
I? I've got it two ways -- I'm still making movies, and
I'm a senior citizen, so I can see myself at half price."
George Burns
"To
me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am."
Bernard Baruch
"Turning
one hundred was the worst birthday of my life. I wouldn't
wish it on my worst enemy. Turning 101 was not so bad. Once
you're past that century mark, it's just not as shocking."
Annie Elizabeth Delany
"We
have no permanent brains until we are forty. Then they begin
to harden, presently they petrify, then business begins.
Since forty I have been regular about going to bed and getting
up -- and that is one of the main things." Mark Twain
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