Five Essential Tools to Age Gracefully

By Susan “Honey” Good

I hope you know that I write to you openly and from my heart. Aging is humbling for everyone. We have to work hard at embracing aging gracefully. Today, I am sharing my perception of how we can embrace our age with aplomb, self- confidence and assurance.  These are my five essential tools to age gracefully.

First of all, do you have a bucket list? I know the first thing that comes to the mind when asked this question for many women is travel.

In actuality, a bucket list is any number of experiences or achievements that you hope to accomplish during your lifetime. Most of you have your bucket list of to-dos. You may have a list of books you want to read or you may be working on a list of 50 places you want to visit. You have a deep desire to study the great artists of the world or you are interested in a new hobby. In order to enjoy your bucket list of ‘to dos,’ it is important for women over 50 to add a bucket list of ‘positive tools’ to embrace age gracefully in the second half of her life.

I am not saying it easy for women to embrace aging. For many of us, it is not. Every woman is sensitive to its physical and emotional side effects. Even very young women often think negative thoughts when they see the first lines on their faces. (Ah, if they only knew how young they still are…right?)

For those of us women over 50, the physical and emotional realities of aging sink in. There are many life-transforming forces pulling at each of us as we try age gracefully. We have exciting triumphs and experiences… and we suffer loss.

We wrap our arms around people we cherish and love and concern ourselves with our financial decisions and worries.   Realistically, this an iffy time for most of us. That is why we must be aware of the ‘positive emotional tools’ that work to embrace aging gracefully.

Five Essential Tools To Age Gracefully

GRATITUDE

A few years ago I wrote about a saleswoman who waited on me in a shoe department. I was purchasing my first pair of shoes after a cast was removed. I had broken my ankle. You know how women start talking! The saleswoman confided in me the reason she was happy. She kept a gratitude journal and pen next to her bedside and each morning before she got out of bed she listed one to five reasons she was grateful. She explained to me that on days when she woke up to problems after she wrote down one to five reasons she was grateful she was able to face a problem with positivity. Gratitude is a positive tool that helps you embrace aging.

STATELINESS

When you feel a sense of pride, you have dignity. You are able to walk the walk and talk the talk. I call the feeling of dignity or stateliness our emotionally driven powerhouse. I feel this power of physical stateliness and mindful dignify when I take care of myself emotionally, physically and spiritually. This feeling of stateliness gives me the power to think positively.  It affords me an ability to feel secure about an action I take to solve a problem. Stateliness is a positive tool that helps you embrace aging.

WISDOM

Women possess the positive tool of wisdom. Wisdom is our North Star, the guiding light based on knowledge, good judgment, experience, and principles. Wisdom allows us to question our actions. Without wisdom, we would be paralyzed and have no idea how to embrace aging. Wisdom is a positive tool that helps you embrace aging.

OPTIMISM

An optimistic personality is the most positive tool a woman can own in embracing aging. She has confidence in her future. She is hopeful, cheerful and believes in herself. Her cup is half full, not half empty, so she is not afraid to take on new challenges. This woman walks on the sunny side of the street so when she is thrown a lemon she uses her power to make sweet lemonade. She is determined to take a big bite out of life and has the ability to solve problems.

Without optimism, it is no wonder a woman over 50 has a difficult time embracing aging. If you have a pessimistic nature the good news is, you are not alone and there is help for you. Put this in your positive bucket of lists: Join a group of optimists. Try and focus on one possibility at a time instead of an impossibility Take the time to study a situation before you determine it is black; think of the situation as grey because grey is between black and white. The Optimist is blessed with a delicious frosting on her cake. She owns the positive Crown of optimism. Optimism is a positive tool that helps you embrace aging.

ACCEPTANCE

There are some unsolvable problems that every woman over 50 will experience. We all know that. I have learned when I am confronted with an unsolvable problem with people, I accept the situation. Acceptance of a situation that is unsolvable opens the door to optimism and allows you to concentrate on the experience of embracing aging. It is very positive, very powerful and creates a sense of peace in your life. With other problems such as illness or finances, you should not avoid your problem. Accept your situation and seek help. Acceptance is a positive tool that helps you embrace aging.

Three-quarters of a cup of optimism mixed with one-quarter of a cup of gratitude, wisdom, dignity, and acceptance combine in my recipe for embracing your age… and allowing your “cup” to runneth over!

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”