I turned 40 this week. The much anticipated birthday had me swaying from extreme to extreme – from dreading it, to excited for the celebration. With the help of my coach, I decided to approach this decade with perspective of ADVENTURE. So far, 3 days in, I am sticking to it. (Note the Pali at A-Basin in picture below)

We conquered the Spine on the Pali

We conquered the Spine on the Pali

In speaking with many friends from every phase of life so far, I’ve heard some great advice.

1. Learn a new thing each decade.
2. Stay active and stretch more.
3. Make an impact in the world. You are now respected and listened to.
4. Let go of everything fake and pursue what’s important to you.
5. Find the career you really want. Not the one you fell into when you were 20. Of course this one peaks my interest. More and more I hear people sharing realizations that being content is no longer enough. Many fear change (don’t we all?). The money, schedule, people, role… are good. But something is missing. It takes hard work to figure out the next phase. And even more work to go after it. But it’s necessary. What will happen if you don’t make a change? Consider three questions as a first step.

• What do you want to do more?
• What do you want to do less?
• What’s getting in your way?

Second step – start working with a career coach, of course.

6. 40 is the new 20. Really? I’ll take it.

Lesson Learned: What would you do if your options were infinite?

(This may sound familiar to Athleta fans.)