15 Important Things I Have Learned by Age 50

Originally posted on 12/24/2014. 
Decided to start 2017 with the same lessons learned. Enjoy!

On January 1st, I will be fifty years old.

Yes, the "Big 5 - 0".

Life sure does fly by when you are having fun (or working too much or caring for farm animals or fill in the blank). But if life flies by and you have not learned much, then that is a travesty.

So, I could not think of a better time than now to note a few of the important things I have learned in these past fifty years. 



In no certain order or level of importance, here they are:


1.  For every mistake made in life, there is a lesson to be learned. Do not dwell on the mistake, focus on the lesson.

2.  Self esteem is not something you are born with, it takes years to develop. So parents, the best thing you can teach your kids is the importance of self worth and confidence at an early age.

3.  Do not be in a hurry to grow up.  Childhood only lasts a fraction of your lifetime, enjoy it and keep playing as a child would - well into your adult and senior years.

4.  Use your finest set of china (nice outfit, new shoes, fill in the blank) that your were saving for that special occasion. Today is that special occasion.

5.  Let go of anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, etc. Keeping any of it inside only hurts one person - yourself.

6.  Have a pet.  Does not matter what kind of pet, just have a pet.

7.  Do not try to control others, it never leads to anything good. You are only in control of yourself and your own emotions.

8.  Do not allow friends, family or anyone else to treat you badly. The first offense may be free, after that a huge penalty should be given - including removing yourself from the situation.

9.  There will be many love partners in your life. The trick is picking the right one that you want to spend the rest of your life with.

10. Always save room for dessert, especially if it has chocolate in it. In fact, sometimes having dessert before a meal is great. Even better, dessert as the meal many times is the perfect thing to have.

11. If you have not been able to fit into those "skinny jeans" for over a year, then toss them out or give them to charity. (Maybe because you saved room for dessert?)

12. Laugh more at yourself and do not take life so seriously.

13. Tell your loved ones that you love them - every day.  No one is guaranteed tomorrow.

14. Do not let fear or anxiety talk you out of the things that you really want to do in life.  Carpe Diem!

15. Lastly, just be real.  Be yourself, warts and all.  Because that is what you have to offer the world and no one else can be YOU!

Happy New Year - 2017 !

Transformations

It has been a month since I retired from the world of Corporate America and started my new life as a middle-aged woman, author and hobby farmer.

This was one of many life changes that I have made over the course of the past few years and one that will undoubtedly have a major impact on my life well into my senior years.

Although my recent retirement may seem abrupt to some, the actual beginning of this "transformation" started way back in 2010, when my father unexpectedly passed away.  This event was rather shocking to me and was the main catalyst for the changes I have made since that time.

Immediately after my father's death, my mother was taken ill and hospitalized with a life-threatening kidney condition.  I feared I would lose her, too. 
Thankfully, with the love and support of my family, she made a full recovery and blossomed into an extremely spunky, independent senior citizen.  She just celebrated her 83rd birthday a few days ago and for this, I am very thankful.

After much soul-searching, I made the decision to take family medical leave from work and to be with my mother during her health crisis.  When I went back to work a few months later, I realized I needed to live closer to my family and subsequently resigned from a lengthy career at Costco.

This was a very scary and stressful time filled with doubts and "what ifs".  But, with a new found internal strength and the moral support of my husband, we decided to move over 3500 miles to the same area where my mother and sisters lived.

Neither one of us had a job at this point in time and there were really no good prospects to speak of. We were charting unknown territory and instead of getting all stressed out about it, we resolved to just relax and enjoy the time off. 

During our self-imposed "time off", one thing led to another and before we knew it, my husband and I became  the proud owners of a 15-acre farm in North Florida.  This was a dream come true for us, since we had always planned on having some acreage in the country "one day".

I was fortunate enough in early 2011 to be recruited by a consulting firm and subsequently was hired as an IT systems engineer.  The best part was that I was able to work on a full-time basis from home.  I could not have imagined a better set-up than working at a very prestigious job and working from home just a few short steps from the barnyard.  I thoroughly loved this job and never dreamed the company would be such an awesome place to work.

Which brings me to where I am today.

Just a few short weeks ago, I retired from that wonderful job and have jumped head first into farming and writing - along with traveling when I have the time.

Amazingly, I am not stressed much at all about this major life change. I am resolute that everything will work out as it should.  There will be trials and tribulations (there always are).  But, I firmly believe that this promises to be one of the most rewarding chapters of my life, as it is the one where I can truly write my own story and maybe even share some of those stories with all of you.

The main things I have learned over the course of the past five years is that "everything happens for a reason" and that destiny and fate have much more impact on our lives than we would like to think.

With that, I leave you with this thought ...

From this day forward, may the unfolding chapters of your own life be well-written and sprinkled with positive life lessons. ~S.A. Molteni