Active happy mature female wake up from good healthy sleep stretching sitting in bed at home, smiling positive senior woman awaken in comfortable bedroom feel optimistic welcome new day
Turning 50 feels like turning 18, only better. The wisdom gained at age 50 can lead to the most blissful moments imaginable. And the wisdom each of us gains by age 50 will be unique from the next person’s. That’s because wisdom is infinite. But I believe all wisdom can be simplified to one thing: love.
Let me share with you, my dear reader, my 30 pieces of wisdom at age 50:
- I’ve learned if we have nothing in our hearts but love, then we have truly forgiven.
- I’ve learned if we feel nothing but love toward our work, then we have truly served.
- I believe we must always forgive our parents on the sole grounds that they gave us life.
- I believe our goal is to be happy all the time. To achieve this goal, we must train our minds. Training our minds takes constant effort. Everything that we value takes constant effort.
- I believe we should devote our lives to spouses whom we respect and love immensely. If we feel deep love for someone, we are more likely to overlook faults when they arise, even the most deep-rooted ones.
- I think everyone has at least one serious flaw. When we overlook that flaw, we come closer to finding happiness.
- I think that no matter how someone may wrong us, we must always take the high road, never seeking revenge. Sometimes we strike out at an assailant, which we should never do. Our assailant’s heart might then bleed as he asks, “Why did you do it?” If our response is, “What did you expect?” then we are clearly on the wrong path.
- I think we should never allow our hearts to harden, no matter the offense. If we embrace everyone with nothing but love, our hearts soften and we find peace.
- I believe the best love we feel is the love we give, not the love we receive.
- I’ve learned we should never take part in a family feud. Love all family members instead.
- I’ve learned to find work I feel passionate about performing. It brings hours of joy each day.
- I’ve learned to invest time, money, and energy into the ones we love.
- I’ve learned that wisdom is applied knowledge. We must apply that knowledge each day with greater energy than the day prior.
- I believe love should take more effort on our parts each day. We should court our spouses with increasingly greater intensity than we did on the honeymoon.
- I’ve learned we should build in enjoyable but relevant tasks throughout our work days.
- I believe that if we ever have a moment of unhappiness, then our thoughts are in the wrong place—in need of correction. We must learn to control our minds.
- I believe that every activity has its season. There is a time to study, followed by a time to apply that knowledge. We may grieve the end of one season, but it’s always followed by another season. Every season has its own unique beauty.
- I’ve learned that caring for another life form, whether it be human, animal, or plant, must be the most rewarding activity we could ever do.
- I believe that when we discover our dream careers, work becomes a playground, even for the most vulnerable people.
- I’ve learned to say no to any of our thoughts that don’t bring immediate happiness.
- I believe we are here to love another human being unconditionally. The best way to do that is to expect nothing but give everything.
- I think there are no such things as toxic families. Families are merely people in need of our love.
- I believe everyone we encounter in life is there for a reason—to be loved.
- I’ve learned we must never neglect our bodies. We must always take time for exercise and nutrition.
- I’ve learned that for every disability, no matter how extreme, someone has achieved great heights despite their limitations.
- I’ve learned to never play victim when wronged. Smile instead. Don’t take it personally, even if the act was intended to cause harm. Drum up ways to win over the wrong-doer. But expect not the slightest kindness in return. Weird as it may seem, this strategy brings me the most happiness.
- I’ve learned acceptance leads to peace.
- I believe we can train our minds to feel empathy for everyone. See only the best in everyone we meet.
- I believe we should never criticize anyone. Love them instead.
- I understand people may be suspicious of our shows of love. Love anyway.