Happiness and the Art of Finding Your True Self

by Margaret Manning

By the time you reach your 60th birthday, you have a pretty good idea of who you are. You have faced all of the challenges that life has thrown your way and you have emerged victorious – ok, a little bruised too, but, victorious none-the-less.

At the same time, by the time we reach our 60s, many people find that the person that they are on the inside and the person that they are on the outside have moved far apart.

Finding Your True Self is Possible

There are many reasons for this. Some of us left our childhood passions behind in favor of jobs that pay the bills and allowed us to support our families. Many of us compromised when it came to friendship, love, or both. Almost all of us learned to “balance” our ideals with rationalizations and hard-earned wisdom from the “school of life.” This is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

At the same time, turning 60 gives us the opportunity to take a step back and evaluate whether the person that we want to be is close enough to the person that we actually are. Doing so is one of the best ways to find happiness in life after 60.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi

I love this quote because it represents one of the simplest truths about life. We can hide from ourselves, but, we cannot hide from our conscience.

Think about your life. What passions have you always wanted to explore but never had the chance to enjoy because of your busy schedule? What causes or missions have you always wanted to be a part of? What one thing could you do this year to move closer to your own potential? Now is the time to bring what you think and what you are into harmony. If not now, then when?

Do you agree that life after 60 should be a time for finding your true self? What one thing are you planning to do this year to reach your potential? Please join the discussion.

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Here’s a short video that I recorded about finding your true self after 60.

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