If you’re reading this email right now, just know that I appreciate you more than you know. I get so many emails a day and it’s amazing what happens when I actually take the time to R E A D what my friends have to write, L E A R N about their journey and A B S O R B their energy. It’s so easy to scroll and not “like” or open and not read, right? Gosh… what a privilege it is for your time my friends. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
In all seriousness, I’m grateful you’re here on this crazy wild ride with me and I’m excited to share a little on how it’s been turning 50 and how I honestly didn’t think I’d live to be this fabulous age.
So here it goes… (hang in there with me)
There is no better way to say this because it truly is a tad morbid (maybe more than a tad?) but I never thought I’d live to see fifty. I have lived most of my life thinking it would be short and dreaded forty because for some odd reason I thought that would be my pinnacle. Ironically, that was the year that everything shifted for me. I left my corporate job, battled a health scare like no other and went out on my own going two hundred miles per hour. Never looked back. I’ve stared death in the face enough times to know that we truly only have one life and every day is a new day. A new age. A new conquest. A new privilege. A new challenge. But gosh, it’s pretty beautiful to be alive, isn’t it? Even when it’s messy.
Someone recently asked me, so how does it feel (truly) to turn 50? My answer?
L U C K Y! I’ve also been asked things like, doesn’t this feel harder now that you’re 50 (in a gym class)? NO. Of course, our bodies change but can we stop setting limits on ourselves because of a stupid number? For me, 50 is a milestone. A GOAL. And my plan, like with all goals, is to crush it! Hahahaha… I say that like I haven’t failed most goals but hey, that’s life! We learn from doing hard things. And if I need to push myself harder at the gym, maybe walk instead of run because of my aging knees, or buy more skin care to make myself feel better, so be it! I also am a huge believer of mental manifestation. I CAAAAAN DO THIS HARD THING AND SO CAN YOU!
My dad died very young and his influence on my life runs deep. Losing him was and always will be a huge punch in my gut and the hole in my heart is larger than life. But his resilience taught me to live life to the fullest and that is what turning fifty is all about. It’s not about “nearing the end,” it’s the opposite! I truly feel better now than I ever have. I’ve cut down my cardio and increased my strength workouts, I eat carbs (always have and always will), stopped botox because if my beautiful mom has taught me anything, it’s that aging naturally is where it’s at (you would never guess her age, gah!), drink lots more water than I thought I needed to (and yes I have to get up and pee at night lol) and completely removed myself from toxic environments. Only about a year ago, my stress level was so high that my anxiety became crippling. I disengaged from people or things that fed into that and started saying no more and yes to things that filled my bucket. Easier said than done but it’s probably the most important decision I ever made. Look around you and if the energy isn’t there… bye bye. No need to be rude just disassociate slowly but surely and I swear it’s life changing.
To think that it’s really only been ten years since I made some pretty huge decisions on the well being of my life. I guess I was too scared to make plans for the future and had set myself a ridiculous “age limit.” I have my family and friends to thank for helping me S E E through all the bullshit. Since I grew up overseas, I don’t have many childhood friends unlike other people I know. I made my closest friends over the past few years and am so grateful for my framily. I started my company only nine years ago. I survived seeing my son off to college. So you see? 50 is just the beginning! It’s never too late to start anything!
Here’s to ageless beauty, random acts of kindness, and dreaming big!
xo, gaelle
