Living Life “To The Nines.”
We tend to make fun of milestone birthdays. Hallmark probably has a whole division of awful punsters dedicated to coming up with cards like “Congrats on 50…if only your gut instinct was growing as fast as your actual gut,” or “At 20, you dressed like you strutted the catwalk. At 40, you now dress like you’re taking your cat for a walk,” and “The good news is at 60, you no longer remember your grudges.”
However, an academic white paper shows it’s actually the year before a milestone birthday when you’re most likely to initiate serious changes in your life. Although humans measure time using a continuous scale, certain numerical ages inspire greater self-reflection than others. People turning 29, 39, 49, and 59 undertake a deeper reflection as they imagine entering a new decade soon. During our ages ending in 9, we’re more likely (than any average year) to exercise more vigorously, change careers, seek extramarital affairs, create a new goal, end addictive behaviors, and find a new sense of spirituality or meaning.
So, if you’re a year from a milestone birthday, don’t be surprised if you spend the next year auditing the meaningfulness of your life. It’s also the perfect time for you to come to MEA, especially for one of my co-founders, Jeff Hamaoui’s “Life Begins at 50” workshop in Baja from April 29 to May 4.
Stay tuned to tomorrow’s blog post in which I’ll announce an essay contest to celebrate your 50th birthday for free with 7 friends at our new Santa Fe Ranch campus in 2024. #lifebeginat50
-Chip
