If time really does fly, then what do I actually want to fill it with?
Over the weekend, I turned 40. And like clockwork, people asked, “How do you feel about it?”
If I’m honest, there’s a small part of me that’s a little sad I can no longer say I’m “young.” But if staying young at heart counts, I’ve decided I’ll always be 25. Just with better instincts, a little more patience, and a stronger appreciation for a good night’s sleep.
What surprised me most wasn’t the number. It was the feeling.
There’s a steadiness that has come with getting older. I feel more grounded. More sure of who I am. More comfortable in how I show up. And at the exact same time, there’s this quiet urgency sitting right next to it. A recognition that time moves quickly. That the things we want to build, experience, and become don’t happen someday. They happen because we decide they matter now.
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that combination, steady and urgent, shows up everywhere.
In how we live. In how we lead. In what we choose to prioritize.
The steadiness shows up in how we carry ourselves. Not getting pulled into every piece of noise. Not reacting to everything that crosses our path. Some things you just have to block out. Being clear on what matters and holding that line. Being present, the kind where you lean in, fully there, not halfway paying attention.
But the urgency is just as important.
Not frantic. Not rushed. Just intentional and on purpose.
It’s recognizing that time, energy, and attention are limited. That relationships don’t deepen on accident. That life doesn’t build itself. That the experiences we create, for ourselves and for others, are happening whether we are intentional about them or not.
So we might as well be intentional.
That’s where my head went this weekend.
If time really does fly, then what do I actually want to fill it with?
And for me, the answer wasn’t complicated, but it was specific. In the first forty, I felt directional. Now, I’m more zoomed in on what actually fills me up and charting a path around it.
More family. More friends. More laughter. More adventure.
Trying new things. Eating really good food. Having conversations that go deeper than surface level. Listening to live music. Staying active. Helping others. Sitting down with a 1,000-piece puzzle. Gardening. Saturdays at the pool, or at least sitting in the sun.
The soul-filling sort of experiences. Those are what I’m building my next forty around.
And yes, continuing to build a business that will move mountains and do work that creates a good ripple effect and brings more joy into the world.
So as I step into 40, that’s the experience I’m set on creating.
Steady enough to know what matters.
Urgent enough to actually move on it.
Intentional enough to make sure the life I’m building is one I’m actually living.
Here’s to being a little wiser, a little more focused, and still just young enough at heart.
Forty. Here we go.
Have Good Ripple Effect,
Lisa