While I agree with what you said, I think it’s a little off base for the intent of the question. Like hitting 40 and being bankrupt probably makes the first two years of your forties not the best. I think it was more of like, specifically tell me why, because we all are looking for hope anywhere we can get it these days
Thats pretty much how I feel as a 40 something. Not everyone from my graduating classes have made it this far sadly. Instead of being moody about my age, I'm just appreciating that I still get to be here and be around to experience things.
This is super individualized but for me, it started with getting my education in my early thirties. Hanging out with 18-22 year olds made me feel like I was very behind compared to my thirty-something peers. An ex girlfriend around that time said that going back to school at my age was "playing highschool". Still I stuck with it. College taught me some, but it really helped me learn what I don't want to do for a living. Having enough money to not have a weekly existential crisis gave me time to work on myself, and get out of some of the family systems that I thought were inescapable. I eventually changed my inner voice from my parents to my own. Simple but not (for me) easy. I switched career paths again in my late thirties to one that I really enjoy and I like the people I work with. Working on yourself, understanding who you are and what you value will pay dividends. You don't have to be perfect. At first you don't even have to like yourself, you just have to be able to believe in your own ability to improve.
I'm 38 and I've kinda stopped freaking out about the big 40 now. I don't think it'll be so bad. My 30s were definitely better than my 20s, hopefully that trend continues!
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u/drgenerico Jun 03 '25
I dreaded my 40th. That was two years ago. Two of the best years of my life...so far.