The Best Advice I’ve Received As I’ve Got Older

They say wisdom comes with age — but let’s be honest, so do creaky knees, hot flashes, rogue chin hairs, and an uncanny ability to forget why you walked into a room. Midlife is full of surprises, not all of them glamorous.

But what no one tells you (until you’re in it) is that ageing also brings a quiet kind of power.

A confidence you couldn’t fake in your 20s. A sense of humour about things you used to take far too seriously. And a growing ability to laugh at yourself — especially when you catch your reflection in the mirror and think, “who put my mother’s face on my head?”

The Best Advice I’ve Received Along the Way

Still, midlife has surprised me in ways I didn’t expect. Not just because I now unironically enjoy early bedtimes and own more skincare than shoes — but because, against all odds, I’ve started to enjoy ageing.

Yes, really. Not in the “drink-this-celery-juice-and-you’ll-live-forever” kind of way — but in the grounded, playful, joyful way that comes when you stop trying to be who you were, and start loving who you’re becoming.

The best advice I’ve received along the way? It wasn’t from a TED Talk, a self-help guide or a TV Show. It came from my friend Carla over coffee, as I panicked about turning 45.

“Midlife,” she said, between sips, “is just adolescence with better shoes and less angst. Lean in.” I laughed, but it stuck. She was right.

Why Midlife Feels Like a Second Chance

There’s something unexpectedly liberating about this life stage. You start caring less about what people think — not because you’re jaded, but because you’ve earned the right to set your own terms.

“I spent my twenties worrying I wasn’t ‘cool’ enough and my thirties proving I was responsible. Now? I’m finally doing what I want — and it’s loud.”, laughed Carla.

Another friend, Laura, told her boss she’d no longer answer work emails after 6pm. “I used to say yes to everything. Now I value my time — and my nervous system.”

For me, it’s been about saying no without guilt, wearing red lipstick on a Tuesday, and finally understanding that joy doesn’t have an expiry date.

Ageing Is a Mindset, Not a Makeover

We’ve been sold the idea that ageing means decline. That our value diminishes with each grey hair. But positive ageing isn’t about pretending you’re not getting older — it’s about getting older on your own damn terms.

• It’s about dancing (even if your knees ache the next day), staying curious, and investing in friendships that feel like soul vitamins.
• It’s buying that sequinned jacket just because you love it — not because it’s “age-appropriate.”
• It’s realising that confidence isn’t loud — it’s quietly showing up as yourself, fully, without apology.

How to Age Like You Mean It

So whether you’re 38 and approaching the edge of midlife, or 68 and wondering what’s next, here’s what I hope you know: ageing playfully isn’t denial — it’s defiance. A wink at time. A celebration of who you are becoming.

You’re not fading. You’re unfolding.