twenty reasons to love your 40s

I wish someone had told me in my 20s how strong, confident, sassy and sexy I would feel in my 40s!

When I was in my 20s, I moved to New York City right after graduating from college. This small town Pennsylvania girl was positively gaga over the bright lights, the fabulous restaurants, theater, and a new career in magazine publishing. Suddenly I had the cosmopolitan lifestyle I’d dreamed about and aspired to since I was a young girl. I was making a measly salary, but that didn’t stop me from living life to the fullest during the “Sex and the City” heyday in the Big Apple.

However, despite the fun new life I had just embarked upon, I was miserable because I was not confident in my own skin. At every turn, there was always another woman who seemingly had it all figured out and was doing it all better than I was. Better dressed, uber-thin, cooler friends, more accomplished at work, the list goes on and on. I spent endless hours agonizing over these things, and that got me exactly nowhere!

I’m feeling far more confident and fabulous in my 40s than I ever dreamed.

Fast forward 20 years, and a lot has happened in my life. I’m happily married with two beautiful sons, living in Seattle splendor and loving my career as a health/nutrition coach; life is good.

The best part? I’m feeling far more confident and fabulous in my 40s than I ever dreamed. My 41-year old self is kicking that 20-something girl who wasted so much time and energy being tough on herself when she had nothing to complain about.

That said, I’ve compiled a list of 20 Reasons to Love Your 40s. Some of the list comes from my heart, and some of the list are direct quotes from fabulous friends who hit their stride when they hit the Big 4-0. I hope that these will inspire you to live your most vibrant life, whatever your age.

I can finally tell myself “you are freaking awesome” and believe it.

1. You learn to stop caring so much about what other people think.
2. You finally feel it’s ok to be yourself! Heck, sometimes it’s fantastic just being you.
3. You know how to prioritize who you’re spending time with.
4. By now you know who your ride-or-die girlfriends are, who will be there for you, no questions asked. And that’s good, because you’ll need them.
5. You look in the mirror and learn to love the skin you’re in, imperfections and all.
6. You look at working out as a reward rather than a chore.
7. You learn to embrace your sexuality and know that it’s OK to be a little bolder in the bedroom.
8. You’re so much better at knowing what’s NOT worth your time to stress over. After observing so many of life’s patterns, now I know that for better or worse, everything changes, so no need to over-react to things I don’t like in the moment!
9. You learn to try new things and not be afraid to fail at them.
10. Experience has made you wiser. I finally know the  foods and drinks that make me feel great (nutrition for my hormones) and those that make me feel like s*&^!
11. You can confidently say “I’m good at X” as opposed to “I guess I’m all right at X.”
12. You know your worth and value: I can finally tell myself “you are freaking awesome” and believe it.
13. You can gracefully accept a compliment because you know it’s true.
14. You know that “healthy” is way more satisfying than “skinny.”
15. You know your body: My favorite thing about being 40+ is knowing where my g-spot is (and I don’t just mean the blog)!
16. Your priorities are straight. No more “I shoulds.” I don’t do something just because I feel I “should.” My time is precious, so reasons for spending it have to be better than “because I should.”
17. You’re finally putting yourself first sometimes. I have no guilt sleeping 9-10 hours a day and not feeling “productive.”
18. You’ve realized being a woman isn’t a disability! Don’t you love not feeling like you need a man to tell you how and when to make use of your knowledge?
19. You are fearless and courageous. If I’d had the confidence in my 20s and 30s that I do now, things would be a little different.
20. You understand the true “cost” of things given to you, like time, help, trust, and friendship. I have a much greater awareness of the concept of gratitude.

The most important thing I think that I would have told my 20-something self is that life really does fly by, so savor the moments and embrace your vibrant life, whatever your age.

Cheers to the good life!