“That may have worked for men, but definitely not for women at that time.”
A lot of people provided vulnerable answers.
Here’s what they had to say:
1.
“Building social status and shopping for ‘things.’
So many people were trying to climb the social ladder in the town I lived in.
Spending more time socializing than with family, but guess who catches you when you fall?
Family and true friends, not the people who you met trying to climb up.
They will leave you in the dust with all of the things that really dont mean anything.”
“I wasted wayyyyy too much time trying to get ahead in my career.
Women coming out of college in the ’70s didnt have a lot of job prospects.
That may have worked for men, but definitely not for women at that time.
Dont waste your time.
Be happy where you work.
Life is too short to put up with spending most of your day being unhappy.”
Anonymous, 70, Texas
3.
“I spent way too much time people-pleasing.
The insecurity made me way too concerned about what others thought.
The best part of getting older is not giving a crap about what anyone thinks!”
Anonymous, 62, Illinois
5.
Nowadays, I don’t worry about whether a man likes me or not.
If he likes me, he’ll show it by wanting to be with me.
It’s now all about whether I find him interesting enough to want to be with him!"
“I was more competitive than being a team player.
I understand more now about the collaborative power of a team.
I should have shared knowledge and information with friends.
That might have given me more friends and well-wishers in my college days.”
sweetship82
7.
“I wasted far too much time being angry with people who had betrayed me.
In my senior years, Im OK with that.”
“Worrying what other people thought of me and thinking they were judging me.
Trying to be the perfect wife, mother, employee, daughter, friend, etc.
I should have relaxed and enjoyed life more rather than put these pressures on myself.”
Anonymous, 66, Illinois
9.
One can do it inexpensively, and the adventure and romance are something that you will always remember.
Just study a few phrases before you go and arrange an initial hostel.
Today, with the internet, it is so easy.
People always say they will travel when they’re older, but it is different."
“Dont waste time being angry over something you cant control.
Dont waste time on gossip or negativity.
Dont waste time blaming others or your childhood on present bad decisions, behavior, or situations.”
fiercemoon84
11.
“There is so much focus on physical perfection and beauty' aimed at young women.
I also realize that beauty is so much more than just physical attributes!”
“I just turned 73.
In my 30s, I spent way too much time cleaning.
I used to take a weeks vacation from work just to spring-clean the house!”
sassywolf77
13.
We recently moved and ended up getting rid of about 1/3 of our precious, precious crap.
It was really humbling and somewhat embarrassing to see how much useless stuff we had."
“Im closing in on 70, and the most valuable advice I can share is to pace yourself.
You dont have to hit societal milestones.
Life is not linear.
Trust YOUR journey!”
