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If you stop to think about it, you know the difference between women who make smart, considered decisions and those who let life push them around.

You probably know women who succeed despite difficulties and bad breaks, and others who have everything handed to them but still can’t get it together.

You probably know women whose lives seem full of satisfaction and accomplishment, and others who don’t feel they have achieved anything worthwhile.

And you probably know women who prefer to let others make their decisions for them, doing what is expected, and following the advice of their spouse or other family member.

As a woman approaching, or already past 40, you are entering a time of greater freedom and greater responsibility toward yourself. As the years pass, your accustomed role in life changes also. You will probably be needed less by your children, will have more responsibility for aging parents, and will be more aware of the passing of time. You may also feel more isolated, overwhelmed, and alienated. At this time, you will begin to search for a different kind of meaning. “What is my life about?” you’ll ask. “I have most everything I want. Why doesn’t it feel like enough?” These are questions a mature woman asks, and are the forces behind the decisions a mature woman must learn to make. Understanding the important issues of this phase of your life, and being prepared to reevaluate you goals, find meaning, and make new kinds of decisions are the tasks you face now. How you respond to these decisions will make the difference in how satisfying and rewarding the rest of your life will be.

From experience, you know you cannot control everything that happens to you. But you can control your reactions and responses to the events around you. If you can think clearly despite changes, surprises and unplanned circumstances, and you know how to make good decisions, you will succeed in all the ways you want.”

By Dr. Tina Tessina, author of, The 10 Smartest Decisions a Woman Can Make After 40.

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