I’m 40.

Happy birthday, Melany.

You’re 40.

This letter is my gift to you,

from me, who believes in you.

I know you can do it.

I know you think that you’ve been left behind, but you’ll catch up with your equals soon.

A friend said, “There’s no such thing as lost years.”

You have yet to be convinced, but think about it.

You said you lost ten years of your working life,

So 39-10 = 29.

Or should I say, “40-10 = 30?”

So tell me, what would you expect of someone who’s 30, career-wise?

Because that’s your career-age now. Minus the years you weren’t part of the work-force.

Again, “What do you expect of someone who’s 30, career-wise?”

She’d still be figuring it out, I guess.

Making rookie mistakes, doing awkward social moves,

Being clumsy.

Another person said, “Manage your expectations”.

Point taken.

You’ve only been working one year, and what a year of discovery!

You have a long way to go.

Don’t be scared anymore.

The good thing about being 40 is you cut to the chase.

You’re past the insecurities about your looks and your love-life.

You’ve made peace with what you like, what you don’t like.

You know your priorities.

What you can or cannot compromise.

So ask yourself the question again and again:

“What is it that you want in life?”

“What can’t you live without?”

“What would you mind not doing for the rest of your life?”

(Because aside from knowing what you really want, you have to tell me what you really don’t want. You have to have limits.)

Tell me when you are ready.

Love,

Melany

(Yes, I wrote myself a letter, a birthday letter.) 

The featured image on this blog was AI-generated by me using free tools, namely ChatGPT, Canva, and Leonardo AI. I use these images to support my written content creatively and cost-effectively.