Women over 60 are a resilient lot. We’ve had to be. Throughout our lives we have battled discrimination in the workplace and crayons on the walls at home. We have loved and lost. We have followed our dreams and encountered more than our fair share of nightmares. Now, as we reach our 60s, despite our natural resiliency some of us feel a bit battered and bruised by life.
The problem is, of course, not that we carry painful memories with us – this is just a part of life. The trouble comes when we allow our fear of getting hurt prevent us from living our dreams.
For example, many women that I talk to have encountered so many of the wrong kind of men that they have lost faith that “good men” even exist. Others have tried so many diets that they believe that their weight is just something that they need to deal with. Still others are so afraid of failing that they are unwilling to take the steps to make a little extra money in retirement by starting a business or being a freelancer.
Martha Rays once said “Don’t give up on the search for happiness because you are afraid of getting hurt.” I agree with Martha and I believe that this is one of the main issues facing women over 60 today. We are ending one phase of our life and beginning another. Unlike previous generations, we likely have decades of healthy life ahead of us. How we choose to spend the time that we have is everything. But, in order to get the most from life after 60, we need to be willing to get hurt.
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What is your greatest fear? What would you do with your life after 60 if you knew that you could not fail? Please join the conversation and reply to at least one other person to keep the discussion going!