Turning 40 wasn't as big a deal as turning 30 was. When I hit 30, I decided that I had entered true adulthood - I was a real grown-up now and had to start behaving like one. I had a 5-yr relationship (that wasn't going anywhere) to end, an old sh-t-box of a car to get rid of, and a career that needed a turbo-boost! It was time to start making some changes and really start proving myself! I had things to do, people to see and places to go!!! Zoom! Zoom!
Fast-forward 10 years...
I turned 40... Got married, bought a camper van and soon thereafter, walked away from a 20-yr career with one company... Two weeks after that, we packed up our things and hit the road - we were going RV'ing throughout the U.S. and nothing was gonna stop us! We returned home 5 months later and I'm now enjoying the freedom I've gained since getting out of jail! (My 'terms of endearment' for finally breaking out of the all-work no-play corporate no-life lifestyle.)
The difference between the actions I took in my 30s vs the actions I'm taking now, is that I'm not rushing to do, to prove, to be someone I'm not or find someone to pretend to be like... I'm comfortable in my own skin, with who I am and who I've become. I've finally taken matters into my own hands and am happy with where I am, where I'm going (or not going), the decisions I've made and continue to make... I've got the calzones to demand what I want and deserve, as well as the ability and desire to plot my own course and go boldly where I have not gone before. I'm stronger, confident, more humble, less arrogant... happy. Does this have anything to do with turning 40? I dunno... maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that I feel this way now, and that I needed that previous decade to get me to this place.
