Redefining Success After 40 (50, 60, or 70)
How to Measure What Matters When the Rules Change
This week in 6 words:
Success changes. Let it evolve too.
3 Ideas From Me
1. Your old definition of success is expired.
The hunger for titles, hustle, and external validation that fueled your 20s and 30s? It’s like trying to run a modern app on a flip phone. Clunky. Unsatisfying. Midlife success isn’t about collecting more—it’s about *rejecting* what no longer fits.
2. The new win? Owning your "enough."
Success now might be a silent rebellion: A calendar with white space. Saying "I don’t know" without shame. Letting go of relationships that drain you. It’s not passive—it’s power in choosing what or who deserves your energy.
3. Redefining success isn’t failure—it’s mastery.
Only the self-aware level up. The midlife ego screams, *"But I was supposed to be __ by now!" Wisdom whispers back: "Or what?"* Shed the script. Write your own rules.
2 Quotes I’m Reflecting On
“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.”
— David Frost
Translation:
Obsession with outcomes is anxiety in disguise. After 40, the magic happens when you stop performing for ghosts—past critics, future judges—and start creating for *you*.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
— Maya Angelou
The midlife edit:
Success is no longer pretending. It’s dropping the act at dinner parties. It’s rejecting the lie that "busy" equals important. It’s trading achievement for “ease”.
1 Question for You
What did success used to mean for you—and what does it mean now? *(Hint: If your answer hasn’t changed, dig deeper.)*
Try This This Week
Write your current definition of success. Then ask: *Does this still feel true—or am I just recycling old conditioning?*
Bonus:
Emotional Freedom Technique is a gentle self-help method that combines cognitive therapy with acupressure. By tapping on specific meridian points while focusing on emotional issues, EFT helps release negative emotions, reduce stress, and restore emotional balance. Often called "psychological acupuncture," it's been shown to effectively address anxiety, fears, trauma, and limiting beliefs.
**Here’s an app I “vibe coded” that will help you use this tool. **