I recently read an article in Huffington post about 14 things that 50-somethings are happy to no longer stress about. I was surprised by one woman’s comment that she no longer stresses about wearing make – up or how her hair looks.
In another article I read the inspiring story of a woman who coming back from a debilitating disease was excited about feeling well enough to put on some makeup, fix her hair, and wear something special for her husband. She felt good enough to get some shine on.
In my 20s, selling advertising in Houston, I often heard my sales manager say, “Fake it till you make it.” He encouraged us to shine with confidence and success even if we didn’t own it yet, because people were buying us as well as the product we were selling.
Is the beauty of age that you no longer have to bring your shine?
I personally enjoy an experience more when I feel confident about bringing my best self, so it doesn’t make sense to me that a benefit of aging is to no longer need to bring your shine. And are we to conclude that when applied, the mature shine doesn’t shine as brightly to the world as a more youthful shine. That is as counterintuitive to me as that old hill we supposedly go over as we mature.
The road of life that takes us from birth to death brings plenty of twists and turns but I can’t imagine that we reach a point where it all turns south. How would you identify your pinnacle day? “Yes, I remember the day well. April 16, 2007 was the very best day of my life and then I went over the hill.”
Ridiculous.
I imagine life’s road ever so slightly inclined uphill all the way – just to keep us striving and reaching and growing. It’s got bumps, holes, and long flat stretches to be sure, but it is mostly a slight incline all the way to the very end when we make that final pass into the Great Unknown. Please remember to use your blinker when you make that final pass.
The road of life is a design from which to shine and not a voluntary turnoff onto steep decline. So always remember to shine on up the road and to give others a toot to remind them to turn their shine on too.
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