Hi friends (and new friends). This morning I’m writing from sunny, autumnal Sydney. So many of you are rushing into spring, and the other half are cozying up like I am, getting ready for winter.
Last night I danced the night away, celebrating a special birthday with a beautiful friend. Tomorrow I turn 56. I post a yearly selfie here in my Love Our Age blog, documenting myself growing older and wiser. But like I wrote in The 10 Minute Fix, I may be 50+ but I feel 35 in my head. My soon-to-be 90 year old mum, the “original” Catherine Greer, says the same thing.
Both of us love to chase joy. It keeps us young at heart.
Still, for me, 55 was a year that surprised me with its challenges. I thought it would turn out differently than it did, and instead I struggled.
So today, in honour of turning 56, I thought I’d share this secret. It’s the #1 thing to do when we struggle or fail.
Keep going ANYWAY. (You won’t feel like it.)
Do the next right thing. (You probably won’t want to.)
Why keep going? The reason is not so you become resilient. The real reason is this.
Because your future needs you. Your past doesn’t.
Your Future Self needs you to stand strong and keep walking. She does. If you’ve hit a bump lately, maybe try thinking about your Future Self.
She’s waiting out there for you—a year older, a year into the future—and she needs you to do the courageous thing and keep going. A year from now, she’ll thank you for it.
Our age is such a gift: every year, we grow smarter and faster at knowing what’s important and true. Your Future Self needs you. Your future does, too. But your past doesn’t.
I hope you enjoy your beautiful weekend! Mine will involve birthday cake, which is always, always a treat.
Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Morgan Harper Nichols’ artwork is lovely. You can follow her here or purchase her new book, Peace is a Practice, here.
Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayons are brilliant. Aussies, find them at Priceline (so sorry, whoops, you just missed the 50% off sale) or here on Amazon. Creamy, soft, really pretty.
Do you make my family birthday cake recipe? Dark, classic Italian chocolate cake with a simple, not-too-sweet fully chocolate icing. The recipe is here, on my previous blog. It’s so worth it!
