Last year I was a 59-year-old woman who had an idea. In actuality, it was more of a dream. I wanted to change the narrative about aging, specifically for people in the midlife, to inspire younger generations, and to realize my personal dream of representing brands for my demographic. Although I knew my end goal, I truly had no idea of what I would do to get there besides growing my audience, nor did I realize how many inherent competencies I would utilize in completely new ways.
How would I accomplish this goal? By becoming a pro-aging fitness enthusiast and lifestyle influencer with a big enough following to create a positive change for people like me. That is, people who look at age as just a number, who refuse to be pigeonholed into a certain way of acting, dressing, exercising, etc.
I’m now 60. I have taken on this endeavor with a full head of steam, eager to make progress each and every day. Why? Because you can’t be afraid of new ventures, no matter what your birth certificate says. Because having a purpose and leaving a legacy became paramount for me.
No Regrets
I’m very fortunate to have the right mindset for this type of thing. Throughout my life, I’ve never been afraid to tackle new obstacles. No hesitation. I just go for it with everything I have. What’s the worst that can happen? I fail? So? However, I know that not everyone is like this.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” is a Michael Jordan mantra that applies perfectly to this situation. You simply can’t be afraid of failure if you want to accomplish a goal, especially a daunting one. You know what eliminates that fear for me? The challenge. The excitement of testing myself. The vision of success!
Apart from drastically increasing your chances of success, giving your maximum effort takes much of the sting out of failure. Failure is inevitable, but regret is not. Regret is what really eats away at you, because it implies you might have been successful had you tried a little harder. Don’t leave anything on the table and there won’t be any room for regret. You won’t be as afraid of possibly coming up short, which is something we all do from time to time!
Your Mountain is Waiting!
No matter what dream you have in mind, I urge you to chase it. That’s not to say you should be reckless; truth be told, I still work in the automotive industry full time, and love that too! But try to carve out some time to climb a mountain you’ve always wanted to reach the top of.
My name is Gail Gensler. I’m a 60-year-old woman who likes fashion, dark chocolate, and the heavy bag at my boxing gym. I have no spectacular abilities that the average person does not have or cannot acquire. Most importantly, I have a dream of changing the narrative about aging, specifically in the midlife. That’s the adventure I’m currently on.
What goal are you chasing?
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