In Your 40's

Over the past 2 weeks, I wrote articles on things to do in your 20's and 30's.

Building it out further - today's article is about things to do in your 40's based on my conversations , experiences and insights from people who have lived these years.

Spend Time with your Children - They will not be the Same Forever 

Anyone who has children will echo with the sentiment that children grow really fast. And as they grow, they probably want to explore experiment and experience life with or without you. So do ensure that you spend time with them during their childhood / young adulthood years. These are the formative and impressionable years in your child’s life & the moments you share will be cherished by both you and your children – tomorrow and several years from now.

Create a Wish list of "Things to do before I die"

40's are possibly the time when many think about their mortality and death for the very first time. No one can predict for sure what the future holds. But it is definitely a good time to buy yourself a fancy book and write down with a fancy pen your wish list of "Things to do before I die". And then of course, find ways to knock off items from your wish list.

Say Sorry

If you have hurt someone or done something which hurt someone or affected something in a negative way, say sorry. It is catharsis.

Express Gratitude

Make the time and make it a priority to say Thanks for all the life experiences of 40+ years - good, bad or ugly. If it was good, then you gained. And if was bad or ugly, then you learnt something about yourself, people, relationships or the world. So it was a gain anyways!

Learn and Practice Meditation

The 40's are possibly the best time to learn and practice meditation, specifically since we are sucked into the busyness of life - both personal and professional. It helps immensely as it helps you get in touch with your thoughts, emotions and also helps in balancing your energy levels.

Re-connect with School Friends

Unless you live in the same city or have made a conscious effort to stay in touch with school friends - chances are that you are drifted apart. The 40's are the best time to re-connect with school friends. The best part is that with school friends you can start off from where ever you left off. And that is the precious.

Set a Yearly Personal Goal for Yourself

This is extremely important as 40's are when you start living and prioritizing everyone or everything above yourself - work, family, people. Hence a yearly personal goal can do wonders to ear-mark just that little time for yourself. This could manifest into learning a musical instrument or a new language or a new cuisine or even just experimenting with colors / clothes / fashion you have shied away from.

Think about what Legacy You Want to Leave in the World 

This is the best time to think about what legacy you want to leave when your time is up - The reason being that the answer to this question will compel you to introspect on what you really want to do in life and what mark you want to leave in the world !