50 Reflections at 50

Today I turned 50 and spent time reflecting. The advantages of this age are experience and wisdom — life lived, lessons learned and skills to put to use ahead. Here are 30 things I have more of, and 15 things I have less of, since I was 30. (Plus 5 aspirations.)

30 things I have more of since 30:

1. Confidence — from learning to trust my abilities and intuition
2. Appreciation — of simple beauty, caring people and good health
3. Compassion — from knowing people of many backgrounds and beliefs
4. Flexibility — from having to pivot assumptions and actions
5. Friendships — from rekindling old and making new
6. Colleagues — from six different workplaces
7. Connections — to a couple thousand cool people around the world
8. Experience — from building teams and marketing programs across industries and continents
9. Skills — in marketing, tech, management, parenting and home repairs
10. Knowledge — from the curiosity that drives me to read, listen and learn
11. Self-Awareness — from journaling, coaching and time on my yoga mat
12. Courage — to ask for what my family or I needed
13. Determination — to push through obstacles
14. Resilience — from surviving the sandwich years of raising kids, losing parents and working full time
15. Fortitude — from supporting loved ones through illness
16. Humility — from acknowledging when I needed help and accepting it
17. Intuition — that knew to keep pushing when something didn’t seem right
18. Patience — with unhelpful people and situations
19. Perseverance — to learn and find solutions
20. Assertiveness — to stand up to biases and push for change
21. Understanding — that most do the best they can with what they know
22. Freedom — from limiting assumptions
23. Faith — to see the breadth and inclusiveness of love
24. Forgiveness — because holding on to grudges only hurts me
25. Love — for my spouse of 27 years, my children and creation
26. Acceptance — of myself and others, just as we are
27. Wisdom — from listening, seeking and learning
28. Gratitude — for the friends, family and pets who travel life with me
29. Loyalty — to those who have proven to not only be fair-weather friends
30. Perspective — that no work or worry is as critical as it seems at the time

15 things I have less of than when I was 35:

1. Ego — from giving up career opportunities when family needed me more
2. Hangups — about title, appearances and what others think
3. Cognitive distortions — that only led down rabbit holes
4. Grudges — about mistakes others made that impacted me
5. Worries — about many things that never came to fruition
6. Complaints — because they don’t beat action
7. Comparisons — which are never productive
8. Defensiveness — which blocks hearing and healing
9. Assumptions — because there’s more to people under the surface
10. Judgments
11. Caretaking responsibilities
12. Self-imposed limitations
13. Mistakes
14. Fear
15. Blind spots

5 things I aspire to have more of by 55:

1. Peace
2. Continued health
3. Balance
4. Meaningful work
5. High-trust relationships

That’s 50 reflections at 50. What are 5 of your own?