There is something about turning 50 that can make you look at life a little differently.
For me, it wasn’t about suddenly having everything figured out. It was more about realizing that I didn’t have to continue doing things simply because that’s what I had always done or because other people expected it from me.
As women, we can spend decades caring for our families, building careers, maintaining relationships, meeting responsibilities and making sure everyone else is okay.
Then one day, we look up and ask:
What about me?
Life after 50 has taught me that getting older doesn’t have to mean becoming less of who we are. In many ways, it can finally give us permission to become more of who we were always meant to be.
Here are five things I stopped doing after 50—and why my life is better because of it.
Want more conversations like this? Join my email community and receive my monthly Better After 50 Letter, where I share beauty, lifestyle, confidence, encouragement and inspiration specifically for women over 50.
[SIGN UP FOR THE BETTER AFTER 50 LETTER]
1. I Stopped Feeling Guilty About Setting Boundaries
For many years, I thought being dependable meant always being available.
If someone needed something, I wanted to help. And like many women, I became accustomed to saying yes even when I really wanted—or needed—to say no.
After 50, I’ve learned something important:
Saying no doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Sometimes saying no means I’m finally respecting myself, too.
A boundary doesn’t have to be angry or dramatic.
Sometimes a boundary is simply:
- “I’m not available.”
- “I can’t do that today.”
- “That doesn’t work for me.”
And here’s something else I’ve learned: everybody may not like your boundaries, particularly if they benefited from you not having any.
But protecting your time, energy and peace isn’t selfish.
Something to think about:
Where in your life are you saying yes when you really want to say no?
2. I Stopped Putting Everyone Else First
Women wear so many hats.
Mother. Wife. Partner. Daughter. Friend. Employee. Caregiver. Business owner.
And somewhere underneath all those responsibilities is the woman herself.
I realized that taking care of other people shouldn’t require disappearing from my own life.
Putting yourself first occasionally doesn’t mean you stop loving or caring for other people.
It means you finally put yourself on the list, too.
Maybe that means resting without feeling guilty, taking the trip, returning to an old hobby, spending time with girlfriends, taking yourself to lunch, starting that business, or simply enjoying a quiet Saturday morning because you want to.
One question I think every woman over 50 should ask herself is:
What is something I used to love that I stopped doing because life got busy?
Maybe it’s time to find that woman again.
Are you creating your own Better After 50 chapter? Don’t do it alone. Join my email community for my monthly newsletter, new videos, beauty and lifestyle tips, Inner Circle updates and encouragement for embracing this season of life.
[JOIN THE MSPJSPLACE EMAIL COMMUNITY]
3. I Stopped Dressing for My Age
Now, ladies, let me clarify something!
I didn’t say I stopped dressing appropriately.
I said:
I stopped letting my AGE tell me what I’m allowed to wear.
We’ve all heard the so-called rules.
Women over 50 shouldn’t wear long hair. Women over 50 shouldn’t wear certain jeans. Women over 50 shouldn’t wear bright colors. Women over 50 shouldn’t wear sleeveless tops. Women over 50 shouldn’t follow trends.
According to some people, once we turn 50 we’re apparently supposed to disappear into a sea of beige!
No, thank you.
My body may change. My preferences may change. And I may style certain pieces differently today than I did at 25.
But I’m not trying to dress 25.
I’m dressing like ME—today.
Fashion should be another way we express ourselves, not another set of rules designed to make women feel invisible as we get older.
Wear what makes you feel beautiful. Wear what makes you feel confident. And most importantly, wear what makes you feel like yourself.
4. I Stopped Avoiding Conversations About Money
Another thing I’ve become more intentional about after 50 is money.
At this stage of life, our financial priorities may look very different.
We may be thinking about retirement, savings, debt, helping adult children, travel, creating additional income or simply having greater financial freedom.
I’ve stopped treating money like something that simply happens to me.
Instead, I’m asking:
What do I want my money to help me accomplish?
For some women, this may also be the perfect season to explore another source of income.
Maybe it’s consulting. Maybe it’s turning a hobby into a business. Maybe it’s becoming a content creator or micro influencer.
One of the things I’m especially passionate about is showing over 50 that our knowledge, experience and perspective still have tremendous value.
It is not too late to start something new.
5. I Stopped Taking My Health for Granted
This may be the most important change of all.
When we’re younger, it’s easy to assume our bodies will continue doing whatever we ask of them.
After 50, my perspective has changed.
Taking care of my health isn’t simply about trying to fit into a certain size.
I want strength because I want independence. I want energy because I still have things I want to accomplish. I want mobility because there are still places I want to go. And I want to take care of my body because I still have plans for it.
That means paying attention to things like regular medical care and recommended screenings, movement and strength, nutrition, hydration, sleep and stress.
We can’t control everything that happens with our health. But we can decide that our health deserves our attention.
I don’t want fear of aging to motivate me. I want LIFE to motivate me.
Because if life really does get better after 50, I want to be healthy enough to enjoy it.
Watch the Full Conversation
These five changes may sound simple when they’re written down.
But there’s a much bigger conversation behind them.
In my YouTube video, 5 Things I Stopped Doing After 50, I’m sharing more about what these changes have meant for me and why I believe this stage of life gives women an incredible opportunity to rethink what we want.
Watch the full video below:
Watch the full conversation on YouTube
And while you’re watching, I’d love for you to answer this question in the comments:
What’s one thing YOU stopped doing after 50 that made your life better?
I think your answer may encourage another woman who needs to hear it.
Maybe We’re Not Getting Older. Maybe We’re Reinventing.
When I look at these five changes, I realize they’re really about something bigger.
Reinvention.
I don’t have to continue being the woman everyone has become accustomed to me being.
And neither do you.
We can decide what we want more of. We can decide what we want less of. We can establish boundaries. We can rediscover ourselves. We can take better care of our bodies. We can become more intentional about our finances. We can wear the clothes, take the trip, start the business, create the YouTube channel, or simply learn to enjoy our lives again.
We’re not finished. We’re reinventing.
Let’s Stay Connected
If conversations like this speak to where you are in your life right now, I’d love for you to become part of the MsPJsPlace community beyond YouTube.
Sign up for my monthly Better After 50 Letter and I’ll send you encouragement, beauty and lifestyle tips, new videos, resources and deeper conversations about creating a life you love after 50.
You’ll also be among the first to receive my upcoming:
FREE Better After 50 Starter Guide
10 Simple Ways to Look Better, Feel Better & Live Better After 50
[YES, PJ — I WANT THE FREE GUIDE + BE]