Last month I celebrated a milestone birthday (50!). I’d be lying if I said I was super excited about this milestone, but I do feel better than I have in a long time.
Turning 50 brought on some feelings I wasn’t expecting. Our daughter (the youngest) is a senior in high school this year and will leave for college next August. Turning 50 and becoming an empty nester in the same year brings on some thoughts and emotions that I spent time going through.
I took time to look back on my “achievements” or my “accomplishments” and then spent more time creating goals for the future. Here are the lists I made:
What I am proud of:
- My faith
- My marriage
- Our kids
- My ministry – Forgiven and Set Free
- My current health
- My job
- The book I’m working on
- My weight loss so far this year
My goals for 50 (For this year):
- Continue on my weight loss journey
- Work on my husband’s Love List each week
- Finish writing book
- Serve in some way each week
- Learn a new skill – i.e. play guitar, make kombucha, build a fire, tie a tie
- Learn a new language (or at least some conversational phrases)
- Do crossword puzzles or suduko (I just bought this book)
- Read 20 books
- Continue helping Rainey prepare for college
- Travel overseas
- Memorize a new Bible verse weekly
What I want to do differently for the rest of my life:
- Trust God completely – every single day
- Serve others often
- Go on mission trips
- Worry less (see #1)
- Be present – always (Prioritize)
- See more of the world
- Always be working on scripture to memorize
It felt really good to write this list. Looking back (briefly) is a fun exercise and looking ahead is exciting. Being content where you are is the best feeling of all. I feel very very blessed to be where I am today – spiritually, physically and mentally.
After completely this list I had a much better attitude about turning 50 and starting the second half of life. As we get older we have more experiences and more wisdom and we can use that to help others. This is a gift and a blessing.
May you look back over your past and feel proud, look at your future with excitement and be content where you are!