Success After 40: Why Your Best Years Are Just Beginning

In our 40s, it is normal to reflect on our past achievements and failures. That can also be overwhelming, especially if we feel that we didn´t live our past lives to our fullest potential or that we missed out on something important. The truth is, however, that your best years are just beginning, and it is not at all too late to get started and create your success story.

This next episode of your life (some call it the second half) is characterized by clarity and resilience, which result from your experience – and all experience counts, positive and negative. With this clarity, you are able to redefine success and reshape your life in a way that is appropriate to your own beliefs.

The important thing is to take action. Not soon, today. There is no use in feeling guilt or shame about things you did in the past. Even your career decisions or relationships are set in stone and you have to continue with them if they are not serving you. But don´t throw everything away now. Focus on consistently building daily habits that support your growth. This midlife reflection is your chance to pivot and reinvent yourself. You can still build a meaningful legacy.

Reflecting on What You’ve Achieved So Far

Our 40s are often considered midlife. I made significant changes in my personal and professional life when I was 43. I was just not happy with my former Corporate career anymore. So my family and I sold our house and everything else, packed our 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a few suitcases, and left for Mexico where we built new businesses and a new life.

Before we made this decision, I had some doubts and even fears. It took time to overcome my limiting beliefs. But once we were standing at the airport, and there was not really a way back, I knew that somehow we would make it work. I didn´t know how, but something told me it would be good. And it was one of the best decisions in my life.

Society often tells us that by 40, we should have it all figured out. The career is going in only one direction, family planning is completed, the house mortgage is paid off in large parts, and clarity about our vision and purpose.

But what happens, if not everything goes according to plan? Or if you still have doubts about your direction? Or even worse, you made all the achievements you wanted, but you still feel unfulfilled?

Then you shouldn´t give up and accept your destiny. You should look forward to a new episode that you can create and you are responsible for. By that, you can create the best time of your life.

Life begins at 40

When we leave the house of our parents and start our own careers and families, we are full of ideals and motivation. But we don´t have a lot of experience. School usually doesn´t prepare us well for real life. So we have to continue to learn, fail, and adjust our direction.

We are also often driven by material success and status symbols. Even if that can be unconscious, a lot of our goals and values are biased by societal pressures and our desire to prove ourselves in a competitive environment.

We think by achieving commonly accepted definitions of a “successful” life we are automatically on the right path. Once we are progressing in a certain direction we stop thinking about the reasoning behind it. But as we grow older, we start to understand that true success and fulfillment don´t come from our achievements. You find it only within yourself.

Avoid the midlife crisis

When we talk about the so-called “midlife crisis”, we often refer to this realization that external or material pursuits don´t bring lasting happiness. We start to question the things we took for granted. I wouldn´t call that a crisis. It is a big opportunity. And if you are prepared for that and if you´re willing to accept that if you redefine success for yourself it doesn´t mean you failed in your previous life, then you´re ready for your big leap.

There are many examples of people who achieved greatness after the age of 40. I won´t list them here, because again, this would just mean how they are judged from the outside. It is even more important that you live up to your own standards and achieve your own unique definition of success. And this is usually the sum of finding your true purpose, living according to your values, and living a legacy you can be proud of.

Collapse the Gap Between Idea and Execution

We all have great ideas and dreams. And I´m a strong believer in the concept of dreaming big. The bigger our dreams, the more we are likely to achieve. Now, many are afraid of dreaming big. Because they seem very unlikely to happen or very distant and abstract.

But that is not what matters. It shouldn´t be the goal that we achieve one day the dream exactly as we envisioned it. And if we don´t get there it doesn´t mean we failed. Our lives are to a large extent controlled by external circumstances. We can´t control or predict everything. The only thing we can control is our own actions.

So instead of overthinking the future, it´s much more relevant to get in action today. And make one small step towards your dream. The gap between idea and execution is where most dreams die. But that is not how it has to be.

You cannot have the answer before you get into action. Because your life is not written yet. Just by planning and thinking you will get nowhere. You create your life while you act. And by that, you´re changing your destiny. But even if you don´t act, things move on. So you can decide, whether you want to be the creator of your life or if you let it be created by external circumstances.

Gaining clarity

If you want to get clarity on your plans, start doing. Just by failing and adjusting, you can get this clarity. Nobody succeeded the first time they did something. Or at least this success is not sustainable. It is important to gain momentum, to get your ball rolling. By that, you will move closer to your goals and they become more tangible.

Ignorance on fire beats knowledge on ice.

Sean Smith

My coach S. Smith liked to say “Ignorance on fire beats knowledge on ice.” Most people have good intentions. But they are not acting according to them. The rewards, however, whether financial, emotional, or spiritual, come only from the output, not the ideas. Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Or for being ready. You will never be ready. Get started now. And follow the old principle: Think (or dream) in decades, plan in months, but execute daily. It is the small and consistent actions that will take you further than the great plans that are stored in the back of your head for such a long time.

Climbing the Right Mountain

When you reflect on your life, it is also a good question to ask yourself: Are you climbing the right mountain? Are the goals you once set for yourself the ones that lead to the desired destination?

I was chasing my goals for many years and I was actually really good at achieving them. But when I reached them, it didn´t make me feel better… My goals were not aligned with my true values and beliefs. I was climbing someone else´s mountain.

When we are looking for things like our “purpose”, our “values” or even our own, personal definition of “success”, we must be careful. Often these traits are biased by external factors. By our friends and family, by social media, and by other elements of our society or culture. Keep in mind: YOUR definitions and standards can only come from within yourself.

Self-awareness is the key to that. You have to disconnect from the world and start again to explore the world within you. It takes time to understand what truly matters to you. And it can be uncomfortable. Because we are not used to dealing with ourselves anymore. Our fears and uniqueness can be interpreted also as awkwardness.

For too long we have been used to having constant distractions. It is difficult to have a minute passing quietly without drawing our cellphones. Sitting in the metro without staring at our screens. If there is one thing in this blog that you should take away: Disconnect and focus internally. That is the single most important habit that brings you closer to your truth.

Which mountain do you climb?

What are YOUR values? What do you believe in? What does your model of the world look like? How do you want to make your contribution and which legacy do you want to leave behind? Searching for this clarity builds a strong foundation. There are no wrong or right answers to these questions. Everything is valid. But your answers will be different than the ones of everybody else or the commonly accepted ones.

Finding your answers is also not something you do one time over the weekend and they are set in stone forever. Self-awareness is a constant practice and doing it lifelong has tremendous benefits. So make sure to make it a daily habit to have time with and for yourself. When you understand yourself better you will understand which mountain is the right one for you to climb.

Reinventing Yourself at Any Stage

Another important recognition from self-awareness is, that your past doesn´t matter. Nor does your future. Your past is just a collection of experiences that form part of your identity. But your identity is not your destiny. It is not who you are. It is also not something static, it is something that changes consistently.

That means, in every single moment you have the choice. The choice to actively create and design your destiny or to passively get changed by external factors. We are all to some extent guilty of blaming others or external circumstances. But in reality, this is just an excuse. We´re giving control out of our hands and this puts us in the victim mindset.

And to be honest, this is also a comfortable situation because we pretend there is nothing we can do. And we will find many others, that will confirm us and that are in similar situations. This collective victim mindset, or as Eckhart Tolle calls it, The collective “Schmerzkoerper” (Painbody) is powerful.

We always have the possibility to reinvent ourselves. To escape the painbody and become more proactive. But it becomes easier when you reach your 40s. Because by this time we usually understand, that there is more to life than material success and compliance. We care less about other opinions and in general, we understand that most things don´t matter as much as we think.

Continous Learning

This calmness and wisdom help us to reinvent ourselves. It is never too late to learn something new, start a new career, or even your own business that you´ve always dreamed of. Make a step back and look for the curiosity you had as a kid and that you slowly forgot when growing older. Try as many new things as possible. You will see, that this provides you great satisfaction.

But also let go of things and habits that no longer serve you. Whether that is a draining relationship, a work you don´t like, or a limiting belief that you were holding on too long to. Create space for new things and don´t take anything for granted. By that, you open the door for new opportunities and connections.

Ingredients of Success: Communication and Curiosity

An important skill for success is certainly communication. The ability to express yourself clearly, to connect yourself with others, and to make your voice heard. We all know the concept, that good communication depends on the sender, the receiver, the message, the noise or distortions, and the verbal and non-verbal elements.

Thus, formulating our message effectively requires not only to become clearer about what we want to say or achieve but also empathy and openness for other people. Training these skills will make you much more successful in achieving your goals. It will expand your horizons, improve your relationships, and make you a better entrepreneur.

I encourage you to practice your communication skills actively. Join a debating club, speak in public, or play in theaters. Start teaching in your public schools. The more you speak and communicate with different audiences, the better you will be.

And always be curious. Ask questions like a child. Don´t be shy or afraid of rejection. Curiosity is the single most important skill that boosts your success. Read books about new topics, engage with people with different opinions and backgrounds, and travel the world. Explore actively the things on the way to your work to which you have commuted for so many years but you never paid attention.

As valid as your own model of the world is, as valid is the one of everyone else. If we accept this fact, we learn that everything is relative. There is no universal truth. Curiosity leads to growth and only growth can lead ultimately to fulfilment.

Gratitude and Fulfilment

While we are chasing our goals and trying to improve our habits it is also important to hold on for a moment. Don´t just think what can be. You have already done so much. So be thankful for that. And I´m not only talking about the big things. Your house, car, your family, and your job. Be grateful also for the small things. The flower in your garden, the smile from the unknown person on the street.

One day you will understand that these small things are the big things that make life worth living.
Appreciate your journey and the experiences you made so far. It´s all about the journey and not the destination. Practice gratitude and allow yourself to be happy. We all will find reasons to be happy.

Your Best Years Are Just Beginning

I hope this post inspired you and helped you to understand, that wherever you stand, it is never too late to start something new.

As I look back on my own journey, my own mistakes and failures, I realize that everything has led to this moment. And I don´t have any judgment about my past, because it wouldn´t make a difference. If I look forward, I´m excited about what is more to come. I´m 46, and life after 40 isn´t about slowing down.

Right, your body is not growing anymore, so you have to take care of it. But your mind is always expanding and can always become greater. So there is no reason to slow down. It is more about adjusting your energy and focusing on what really matters. For you and not for anybody else.

What does success mean to you? Are you ready to take life into your own hands and create your legacy? Embrace the journey and the unknown and take action. And do not follow the path that many walked before. Create your path and leave a trail behind.