Seven Affirmations of a Woman of a Certain Age

I have recently hit a birthday milestone. This birthday was an excellent reason to look back over the years and assess what I would leave behind and what I will bring with me into this next season of life. This birthday motivated me to analyze such ideals and concepts as contentment, identity, courage, affirmation, and responsibility. It goes without saying that who we are as adults has a direct correlation to our upbringing. I noticed a few things about the way I was raised and the things I was taught to value still influence me today. I have also become oddly self-aware of how I am allowing local, state, and national representatives, people of questionable life choices, and general hooligans to dictate my responses to this stage of life. As a woman of a certain age, I have a moral and spiritual obligation to verify my values, interests, and priorities. Some of those things I will carry into this next stage of life. Others I will leave behind. Many of these are tied to phrases from my childhood that lend themselves well to affirmations.

Below are seven affirmations I have learned from childhood. If my parents could only see me now.

1. Use the brain God gave you child. Critical thinking skills include things like challenging assumptions, considering multiple perspectives, and assessing credibility and evidence. It’s becoming a little common to hear I don’t want to think that hard.” We need to take a long hard look at whatever is causing us to not use our brains. Is it stress management, lack of sleep or water? Or is the company I keep that only wants to stay at the superficial level? Whatever is holding us back we need to let those things go As a woman of a certain age, I will use the brain God gave me.

2. With great power comes great responsibility. When you are in any position of authority you have an obligation to use that position to bring as much good as possible to this world. Not destruction. Very often you do not get to choose the power or the responsibility. It is thrust upon us. We can choose to use that power for the good of ourselves, our careers, or our wallets. Or we can choose to use that power for the good of others. As a woman of a certain age, I will not shy away from the responsibility I have to keep doing good.

3. Hold your horses. When we are around someone who is acting crazy or super hyper we typically put up a bit and reassess the situation. One of the best acts of self-discipline we can have for ourselves is the act of pushing pause. We must use discernment and separate the emotions from the narrative to ensure we are not swept into that riot mentality. As a woman of a certain age, I will be confident to stop, carefully consider my decision, and not be rushed into a bad choice.

4. Don’t play with fire if you don’t want to get burned. I have no inclination to follow those who burn down swamps. Our actions can bring order or chaos. Catastrophe is a very real possibility when we choose dangerous actions, inflammatory words or circus antics. Shame on us if we are pouring the fuel and encouraging the firestarters around us. As a woman of a certain age, I will lead with mitigation and mediation.

5. You will get treated like an adult when you start acting like one. I was raised that the grownups sat at the grownup table that had white table linens, china, and crystal goblets. The children’s table had plastic tablecloths and plastic plates. It is in poor taste and poor judgment to act like a child throwing a temper tantrum, mocking the adults, and throwing food and insults when you have been seated at the head of the grownup table. As a woman of a certain age, I will engage in behaviors becoming of a lady and stateswoman.

6. Just because it pops in your head doesn’t mean it pops out of your mouth/Don’t run your mouth off. There are many people around us who need to be told to just stop talking for a bit. Some need to take social media fast. The cacophony flying out of mouths makes it nearly impossible to even begin to listen to people. On the flip side, we need to silence the ridiculous jabberwockys. We need to control how much of the negative narrative and rhetoric we accept. In order to mentally process messages we need the inform the mouths to stop mouthing off. As a woman of a certain age, I will listen to understand first and use fewer words to communicate more.

7. You are the company that you keep./If everyone jumped off a bridge would you too? I am a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggies Class of 1995. Aggies do not lie, steal, cheat nor tolerate those who do. SwampBurners lie about everything from addresses to accomplishments. SwampBurners steal peace, steal money from little old ladies, and self-respect. SwampBurners cheat all of us with peace of mind and pride. Even if you are not a SwampBurner but you stand back in the crowd and do or say anything you are tolerating an abomination of power. As a woman of a certain age, I will not accept the adage that this is just the way they are.

Whether your walk started 50 years ago or 15 it is always important to know where you have come from to know where you are going. As a certain woman of age, it is important to listen to the wisdom of our earthly parents but it is imperative to listen and obey the inspired word of our heavenly Father to affirm who we are.

1 Peter 5:1-5 states: “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

I will live in humility as a clear-minded and alert woman of a certain age.