Community post
Does Turning 40 Make Time Travel Faster?
Has anyone else who has turned 40 get the feeling that they've gone past a half way point?
As cliched as it sounds, I have a definite sense of the 'finite' nature of time now, a distinct feeling that time is a limited resource not to be taken for granted.
I don't recall feeling this way in the years leading up to 40, I always felt the future was always something to look forward to when things would 'get better'.
Now I'm trying to fight the feeling that the best is already behind me :-(
Anyone got any happier recollections of turning 40?
Replies (22)
not 40, but not taking time for granted is defiantly something I need to work on.
Just try it with one tradition that is silence
nice!!!!!
Hi, I know a lot of people who are saying life is getting better the older you get. You have a lot of knowledge, you know what's important in life, you got more money then younger people, in the most parts of the world "elder" people have a kind of "status", and some told me the life in bed (nsfw) is the best when you are retired, so you have some things to look forward to in the future ;-)
I think I have that feeling. I'm not yet 30 years old, but I recently realized that the world is very different. I realized that the older I get, the more questions I have. I do not know anything about the world. But with age, I begin to recognize people, and that's something.
ah :) that feeling of invincability is gone and realization finiteness of everything kicking in, but we are living in the future who know what science and medicine will produce. Not 40, but congrats on the milestone.
@g-no - Let me make it simple for you... I had the same thoughts at 40 and my Birthday is the end of July when i'm 48 and it seems like only yesterday :-) Time definitely appears to be shorter as you get older. Another thing that I noticed is you tend to do much more as it feels like time is rapidly slipping away. Although apart from being broke and worrying about Pensions / Retirement I am very happy in daily life as I try to make the most of each day.
I think "awareness of time" has definitely crept into my consciousness a bit more since turning 40. (I actually think it was more like 35 years of age for me. When Steve Jobs died I became much more aware of my age.)
Now I realize a big part of my life is to create efficiencies that give me more time to do the things that are important to me. I don't have hours to waste on things that I can whip out in a matter of minutes with some applied focus.
So I get my thoughts more organized and in alignment with where I'm headed "before" I get into motion - it seems to condense my "task time".
PLUS, since turning 40...I don't seem to care so much about what other people think...and believe it or not, this saves me a whole ton of time. (It's amazing how much time I spent contemplating/spinning my wheels as I wondered and guessed how other people felt about me.
When I turned 40 - the "I don't give a rip if you don't dig me" phase of my life began.
Ahhh...this is living. :)
Great post @g-no!
Perhaps it's related to a renewed confidence in yourself as you get older. I've found I don't care so much what people think about me now.
i am a few months away from 40 and i feel the same way. I feel like i got a good solid 10 years before going downhill
Maybe wisdom is realising that you know less than you think? :-)
I guess the good thing is that it concentrates the mind on what's important and what is meaningless fluff ...
That's right)
To not care what others think about you is certainly something to celebrate. The feeling of living your life for no one else but yourself is a liberating feeling.
You might feel differently in 10 years. Perhaps it's too easy to associate getting older with just negativity, on the other hand you've gone through more life experience than many others and can use that to your advantage!
I'm far from excellent at this yet...as I'm only 43. But I find I'm sliding more and more into pleasing myself and letting the rest fall away.
Maybe by 50 I'll be in a whole different phase!
I remember feeling invincible in my 20s but now, I appreciate everyone has anxieties and vulnerabilities that need to be taken into account.
Meditation ?
Indeed. To value your time and not take it for granted means you're already ahead of most people.
I think the better you know yourself, the less you need validation from others. Teens are so desperate to be liked and accepted during a time in their life when they're trying to figure out who they are...I guess getting older brings that self knowledge into a sharper focus.
Well said @g-no. I couldn't agree more.
When I get really down I think how well off I am to have my health even with the Aches and Pains and there are people out there with Terminal Illness including Baby's and Children and then you get thinking that life can really suck and yours isn't that bad after all. Great post and very thought provoking. Thank you.