Midlife IS Magic: 7 reasons why
And 4 ways to welcome it like a badass
Recently I started seeing my first white hairs pop up.
(I told you this last year was a rough one…)
What surprised me was that I didn’t feel the dread I felt when I turned 30. No, I actually laughed a little.
I was so excited I ran to my older adult friends to validate this: “Tell me these are real, right? Not just blond or light hairs? Real white??”
I started looking at getting those cute beaded lanyards for glasses. I’m leaning into what I proudly call “my villain era.” I’ve even got the laugh for it and everything.
Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a goddamn awakening.
People spend their 20s trying to be someone. Worrying about what’s “right.” Obsessing over how they look instead of how they feel.
Then, at some point in your 30s or 40s, you wake the hell up.
You realize: None of that sh*t ever mattered.
And suddenly, life gets really interesting. Here’s how:
You stop giving a sh*t about the wrong things
I’m sitting here wearing a macaroni and cheese t-shirt. If loving mac and cheese is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
And my ex just messaged me, saying he still loves me. He’ll stay on Read status forever.
Remember when you spent hours agonizing over a harmless text?
Or when you rearranged your personality to make other people comfortable?
Or when you genuinely thought you’d be ruined if you embarrassed yourself in public?
Yeah, that’s done now.
At midlife, you start realizing how much energy you wasted caring about things that didn’t deserve it.
Now, you get to reclaim that energy.
Not sure where to start? Here’s a list of things you’re officially allowed to stop giving a sh*t about:
other people’s expectations
trying to be “likable” to everyone
society’s played out timeline
trends that aren’t even cool
saying “yes” when you mean “no”
keeping up with people you don’t even like
needing a reason to do what makes you happy
Give yourself permission to drop the weight of all that unnecessary baggage. You’ll feel 10 years younger.
You start giving a sh*t about the right things
Midlife isn’t about not caring. It’s about caring differently.
It’s about getting clear with your boundaries, and maintaining them.
You stop worrying about being impressive and start focusing on being real, and vulnerable with those that deserve it.
You care less about external validation and more about whether you actually like your life.
You start asking better questions:
What actually makes me feel alive?
What am I done tolerating?
Who do I love being around?
What do I want to create in the time I have left?
Suddenly, life stops being about checking off boxes and starts being about living on your own terms.
Your tolerance for bullsh*t disappears
At 25, I sat through dinners with my soul-sucking in-laws just to be polite.
At 43? I’ll Irish-exit mid-sentence and sleep like a baby.
You don’t waste time on people who suck the energy out of a room.
You don’t entertain relationships that are all effort, no joy.
You don’t let guilt keep you in places you’ve outgrown.
Because once you realize your time is your most valuable asset, you stop handing it out like free samples.
You protect your peace like it’s your f*cking job.
You finally own your weirdness
For years, I tried to be palatable. Maybe you did too.
You made yourself smaller. Softer. More acceptable.
Then one day, you wake up and realize: your weirdness is the best thing about you.
So you stop hiding it.
You start villain laughing, wearing mac and cheese shirts, and doing sh*t that excites you.
You start chasing ideas that would’ve scared you before.
You let yourself play. Experiment. Try things just because they feel good.
And guess what? Life gets way more fun when you stop filtering yourself.
You learn to enjoy your own damn company
When you were younger, being alone felt lonely.
Now being alone feels like a vacation.
You take yourself on coffee dates.
You sit in silence without reaching for your phone.
You actually like your own thoughts. (Maybe you do, I’m still working on that.)
If you’re an extrovert, maybe you don’t need a packed social calendar to feel worthy. You don’t need constant stimulation to feel alive.
You learn how to be with yourself—and that’s something most people never master.
You realize it’s never too late for anything
Maybe you thought life had to be figured out by 30. Maybe you thought your “best years” were behind you. I mourned my 20s, personally – I thought 30 was old.
And then you look around and realize…that was all bullsh*t.
People are starting over at 40, 50, 60, 70.
Learning new things. Changing careers. Falling in love. Writing books. Moving to new cities. Doing things they never thought they’d do.
You realize you don’t have forever, but you have so much time left.
You’re not too old for a damn thing. You’re just getting started.
The best part? You stop waiting and start living
For years, you put things off.
You waited for “the right time.” You waited to feel ready. You waited for someone to choose you.
But now?
You realize you are the one who decides.
You stop making excuses.
You stop overcomplicating things.
You just f*cking go for it.
Life opens up in ways you never imagined.
So if you’re hitting midlife, here’s what I want you to know:
You are not fading. You are not irrelevant. You are not “past your prime.”
You are waking up.
You are stepping into your most powerful, unfiltered, fully alive years.
And the only thing you need to do?
Start acting like it. 🔥
Midlife isn’t something to survive—it’s something to own. If you want to make this chapter your best yet, start with these four measurable, no-BS ways to step into your power.