I remember more than twenty years ago, we were sitting with my mother, we were slowly drinking wine from crystal carved glasses and I asked her with bewilderment: "Well, aren't you REALLY glad that it's your birthday!? It's SUCH a day! Holiday!" Mom somehow sadly replied that birthdays had completely ceased to be important for her, and "If you live to my age, you'll understand..."❤️💋

And so, I lived. And ... I am sincerely glad that I DID NOT UNDERSTAND! But I don't feel any sadness about the next birthday either. Even on the contrary! I feel that every year life is getting better and better, and not ending, as my mother prophesied on that sad day of her fortieth birthday.


And here are my 10 discoveries:

Discovery No 1. it is not necessary to torture yourself with heels. How wonderful it is to live without this cruel invention of mankind! From the age of twenty, I constantly walked in high heels. Always and everywhere. I was embarrassed by my short stature, so I considered it mandatory to torture my legs.

By the time I was thirty, I had become a little wiser, and I started wearing heels only on special occasions.

But closer to 40, I finally realized that even special occasions are much more pleasant if your feet don't ache from standing on stilettos for a long time. I realized and ... gave almost all the heels to charity shops, having purchased 2 pairs of expensive stilettos for the exit... with heels only 6-7 cm high. And now I am immensely happy.🙈


Discovery No 2. in order to be beautiful, you don't need 50 perfect makeup products. This saves both money and time. I remember, at 20 +, every morning I started with a ritual of beauty guidance: to wash, anoint with cream, another cream, a foundation, another foundation, a pencil for masking acne, concealer for circles under the eyes, powder, blush, shadows, lipstick, mascara... Wow! Have you forgotten anything? Now everything is much easier! Washed - anointed with cream - painted eyelashes (sometimes) - ready to go out!🦄


Discovery No 3. No one cares about you. Yes. You suddenly realize that others are busy exclusively with themselves and if they pay attention to you, then they quickly get bored and they hurry back to their own lives. And that's fine! Because by understanding this simple fact, you get precious FREEDOM to LIVE THE WAY YOU WANT. Without looking back at "what people will say."🦋


Discovery No 4. it's better to do something today and somehow than perfectly, and... never. In the recent past, I was terribly proud of my perfectionism. Reading an article about perfectionists, I thought with inner satisfaction that yes, this is about me! Over the years, having filled a lot of bumps and being disappointed that many of my projects remained not only unrealized, but not even started, I revised my values.🌺


Discovery No 5. delayed pleasure is much more valuable than momentary. At 20, it seemed to me that "pampering yourself" was certainly some forbidden and inaccessible pleasures: an extra portion of cake, an extra day on the couch, extra unnecessary shoes, thirty-fifth lipstick and forty-eighth nail polish... By the time I was forty, it finally dawned on me that not eating a piece of cake and not buying unnecessary lipstick in another rush Eventually bring a lot more joy!
The rejection of the cake eventually leads to beautiful skin and excellent well-being.🌝

Discovery No. 6. People (and men too!) it is not your external data or "extraordinary abilities" in some area that attract you. People go for energy. For many years it seemed to me that in order to please people (and men), you need to have some kind of set of knowledge and qualities. Be beautiful, well-groomed, fashionable, smart, interesting in communication, caring, kind, understanding......... AND I TRIED! Makeup, the right image, tons of smart books, attempts to learn how to cook...

And by the time I was forty, I realized that IT DIDN'T MATTER!🌞


Opening No 7. you won't be good for everyone. At twenty, and even at thirty, I often worried if someone didn't like me or if someone spoke negatively about me or my creations. If someone disapproved of my appearance, I tried to improve myself and fixated on the "shortcomings" of the figure. I was afraid to say no. I was afraid of a lot of things... I think that many of you are familiar with such experiences.

By the time I was forty, I finally realized that no matter what I did or said, there will always be those who will be outraged, disagree, dissatisfied.

And this is normal!


Discovery No 8. you can not be afraid to be yourself. From the previous discovery, over time, there was also a lack of fear of showing oneself to be real.🔮


Discovery No. 9: your shortcomings can actually become your advantages, And by the time I was forty, I was convinced of this more than once!🎀


Discovery No. 10: At 40, life is just beginning! This is probably the most important discovery I've made in the last year. I am happy to understand that my fears were in vain. I have NEVER lived such a full and happy life in my life as I do now.💌