Almost two years ago, I started researching, in depth, themes and profiles related to Female Maturity, with the objective of having more foundation to give life to the Proud Over 40 Platform (I wouldn't want to be restricted to my questions and experiences).
In the beginning, content was scarce and the number of profiles on social media was almost unimpressive. But it's surprising how frantically that number is growing every day. It's trendy to talk about maturity!
Subjects that until recently were taboo are being discussed openly in prime time. Many professionals who were limited to sharing their knowledge only in their offices gained voice and scale with social media. Many women who felt somehow oppressed and embarrassed about some issues, decided to expose themselves. Who benefits from it? Everyone!
Baby Boomer´s and Generation X gain representation. It's great to find echo in so many other people who are going through the same situations, problems, insecurities, desires, and anxieties. The younger generation gains hope. The idea that life ends when you turn 50 is completely obsolete. Age doesn´t have to limit us. It's just the opposite for those who have health, energy and attitude.
Who said that it is possible to change the mentality that is rooted in society overnight?
Unfortunately, in the collective unconscious of our society, a person over 50 is old! Even with all the contrary evidence that we have on Social Media (which became the references for everything!). I don't need to go far. The image I have of my maternal grandmother when she was 50 years old is equivalent to that of a woman in her 80s today. Not to mention health and posture, which were far from a concept of vitality. That image is still alive on in my mind.
Do you know what's most interesting? It's what's instilled in our minds. The problem is not our age, but what we think about aging and about ourselves. If even we don't accept our aging process, how can we want an entire society to face it in a natural way? We want at all costs to maintain a youthful appearance, as if it stopped time or changed reality. “The privilege of growing old” needs to be put in practice.
Without a doubt, our generation has gained a lot in terms of access to information that can change our lives for the better. In physical as well as mental and emotional terms. We know, for example, that an exercise routine, combined with a balanced diet, restorative sleep and a few minutes of meditation a day can greatly improve our quality of life, improve our health, our mood and, consequently, our relationships.
We also had many advances in the field of science and medicine. Today it is possible to have many early diagnoses and treat diseases that until recently were “death sentences”. Not to mention the precision of equipment for performing surgeries.
Another huge advantage we have over past generations, once again thanks to technology and information dissemination, is the possibility of reinventing ourselves in professional terms. The amount of shared knowledge is huge and it is possible to make a career transition, launch yourself in the world of entrepreneurship or simply (and no less important) invest in knowledge in the field to expand the range of opportunities.
This is wonderful! But what are we doing with all this? Are we repeating the patterns of past generations in our family or are we taking advantage of all these resources to increase our longevity and improve our quality of life?
Our attitudes dictate how society sees us and how younger generations will deal with the aging process. Of course, with all these advances I mentioned above, it is already possible to see a large number of people taking advantage of all these opportunities and creating their own future (imagine if someone after 40 would be talking about creating a future, 40, 50 ago years old!). The trend is for this behavior to spread and become the new standard. 50 is the new 50!
I believe that the perception of “being old” is totally associated with our behavior, our disposition, and our energy. The way we face life, challenges and opportunities are like a seal on our appearance. This is what makes us, in the eyes of others, a young person or an old one. I refer to the age of our soul. It, unlike the body, is limited only by our mentality. Invest in it, the return is guaranteed!