How to Create a Happy & Meaningful Life in Your 50s?

“I wish I could go back in time and accomplish all my dreams. I’m too old to pursue anything now.”

“I wish I had lived a life that I loved, not the one that others wanted me to live.”

“I wish I prioritized my happiness and well-being more.”

As a woman in your 50s, you have likely struggled with the thoughts mentioned above.

What if I tell you these thoughts are merely an illusion, and the reality is beautifully different?

What if I tell you that your 50s aren’t too late to change your lives?

Your 50 Can Be Your Second Chance at 15!

The book “Conversations With God” by Neale Donald Walsch features an interesting section wherein the author asks God about the human body.

Here’s the answer he receives:

“It means, My son, your body was designed to last forever. I made you bodies that would last forever. Do you really think the best God could do, the best I could come up with, was a body that could make it 60,70, maybe 80 years before falling apart? Is that, do you imagine, the limit of My ability?… I designed your magnificent body to last forever.”

This answer was an “aha” moment for my 50-year-old self when I first read it.

It made me wonder if we take care of our bodies to the best of our abilities, can we “easily” live up to 100 years?

Luckily, the answer is YES, which means our “50” is just the halfway point of our lives.

After that, we have another 50 years to live happily and healthily.

The exciting thing is, that the second half is loaded with success and true joy. You have learnt some hard & deep lessons from the challenges you have encountered in the first 50 years of your life. You’ve also collected a lot of lemons along the way.

By the time you reach your 50s, you know what you like and don’t like in terms of relationships, friendships, jobs, interests, food, looks, feelings, hobbies, etc.

Now all you have to do is grab life by the horns and boldly head in the direction you always wanted to go, where the party is all prepared, and they are celebrating YOU!

This is your chance to become your version 2.0. You’ve 50 years to live as who you truly are without looking over your shoulder or being afraid of living in others’ shadows.

Most importantly, this is your long-awaited opportunity to live your life freely, with just one goal: Be happy. Be the CEO of your life.

What Wonderful Freedoms Do You Have as a 50+ CEO of Your Life?

1) Freedom from restrictive food mindsets and diets

As a personal trainer and a fitness competitor, I have seen how women can quickly turn into “food prisoners” and plan their whole day around food. They can constantly be seen counting calories, reading every label, and avoiding fun events due to dietary restrictions. This is not living; this is surviving.

In your 50s, you’ve had enough experience to know the contrast between “wrong” food and healthy food based on your feelings. If eating XYZ in abc amounts makes you feel good, then the abc amount of XYZ is the right food for you.

You don’t need to read labels or count calories to eat healthily. Instead, follow your happy feelings, and you will naturally strike the perfect balance your body craves.

Healthy eating also gives you the liberty to enjoy your favorite ice cream and wine because you know when to stop. You have the discipline and self-love to not do anything that makes you feel like a crabby person the next day. What a wasted day, week, and life that would be if you felt so icky every morning!

And yes, you do love to go to the gym — not because you’ve just devoured a pint of ice cream. Instead, you love it because it feels so awesome to leave the gym drenched in sweat, knowing you’ve worked hard.

2) Freedom from body shaming yourself

How often have you done this: hiding behind your clothes, not doing the things you love, not being yourself due to dissatisfaction with your body.

I guess, plenty of times. Now is the time to let go of the image of those mean skinny girls from your high school because they are gone — they don’t exist anymore.

We all are in the same boat. Every single one of us has been affected by gravity and weather! Our breasts, our wrinkles, our “behinds”, you name it. Honestly, you can’t find a single person in her 50s who still has her body from high school.

Once you let go of this “skinny girl ghost,” you will find yourself more motivated to get into the best shape of YOUR desires rather than the desires of others.

3) Freedom from other people’s opinions

Once you reach your 50s, you have had plenty of opportunities to learn that it is impossible to make everyone happy. People who judge you are judging themselves. People who don’t like you are dissatisfied with themselves. Your only responsibility is to communicate your values and worth courageously and lovingly.

You are not required to control how others handle your truth. Your 50s is the time to develop a strong “Happy immune system” towards other people’s opinions, dislikes, and judgments. You can start this practice right now by taking your “Vitamin B” — Be Happy, regardless of what others say.

4) Freedom from manipulation and hurt

This one is the most significant. We have all experienced challenges, encountered lemons, and hit rock bottom. We have been through the pain of disappointment and betrayal. Because of this, we have developed a radar for manipulators, liars, and cheaters.

We know what true love and friendship mean and feel like. We also have intuitive BS detectors that can sense jerks and toxic people from miles away.

It is time to keep these people there: miles away.

If your circle is too toxic to stay, you’re better off getting out of that circle and creating a new one for yourself: one that is happy and toxic-free. You don’t have to take responsibility for detoxifying a group. Instead, save that time and energy for working on your long-cherished dream or starting a new career. Isn’t there something you always wanted to do or accomplish? Well, it is finally time to make that happen.

Turning 50 is your chance to relive your life as Version 2.0. Empowered with all your life experiences, you can become unstoppable if you choose to.

But how do you choose it? You choose it by deciding that you are just as important, if not more important, than others in your life. You choose it by respecting your skills, talents, and dreams. You have been taking care of others till now: children, spouses, and elderly parents. Now is your (re)turn and your time to shine. It’s time to BE who you choose to be and become the CEO of your life.

I’m not telling you to leave your family, resign from your job, sell your house, or take a trip halfway around the world tomorrow. But you must start paying attention to your inner voice that has been calling you to share your talents and skills for so long. Once you begin to lend an ear to that whisper, you will realize it’s not a whisper anymore; it’s a freaking volcano. Yes, you will find a volcano erupting inside of you, intending to give birth to the new you.

What does a happy and successful life look like when you’re over 50?

You wake up in the morning and do your meditation, journaling, and exercising. You’re not doing this to follow some social media trend or comply with the advice of body shamers. You do this because you like to take care of yourself.

Then comes the pile of laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, taking the kids to school, and helping at school…you do these things with a joyful heart because you KNOW that your help and support are needed and appreciated.

You read to educate (and maybe re-invent) yourself because you KNOW that bettering yourself is the way to live life with purpose.

You take some time off for yourself because you KNOW that, in order to take care of others, you must first take care of yourself. You start working on your dreams and don’t stop until they are real.

You keep your body healthy with good nutrition and exercise because you KNOW that your body is the Temple of your happy soul, and you have another half-century to enjoy your party.

You are kind, yet you maintain healthy boundaries with others because you KNOW that kindness is energizing to your soul, and boundaries enable kindness in the right way.

You are smart about your finances. You continually educate yourself to be financially independent because you KNOW that only then are you truly free.

And most importantly (my favourite), you don’t put up with others’ abuse, disrespect, lies, cheating, or BS because you KNOW your value.

As CEO of your life, every choice you make throughout the day is made out of joy and love for yourself: for what you have done and what you have been through in your life until now (including those darn lemons).

You don’t need a million dollars in your bank account to be your life’s CEO. You need your FREEDOM: freedom to live your life authentically and make your choices based on who you truly are.

It is time to channel your knowledge into making lemonade and creating your dream life.

Don’t forget one crucial fact: when you make up your mind about something, you set the universe in motion. Right now, you’ve put into motion the idea that your 50 is your new 15 with much more wisdom, freedom, and fun. If you don’t take your mind off it for the next 50 years, you will live the best years of your life. Stay focused. Stay loyal to yourself. Stay Centered, Empowered, Original — be a CEO!

Try it! Life looks good on you when you are CEO of your own life.

Tatiana Schloessman is the creator and CEO of myreturn.Life, and author of 555 Method. Born and raised in Slovakia, Tatiana has always been naturally driven toward success and inclined to overcome any challenge she’s faced. However, it wasn’t until completing her Master’s in Physical Education and Biology that led her to the United States that she realized her life had been missing a critical component: faith. Homeless, penniless, and speaking no English, Tatiana began rebuilding her life–this time, with an open heart and mind. With Her HEAVENLY BODY COACHING, she specifically teaches women to permanently break free from their unhealthy patterns, whatever they may be, and center their lives around a higher power. She says, “The moment you realize that YOU are worthy and enough, you claim the power to change your life!” Visit My Return.life to learn more about Heavenly Body Formula and find your way home.