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Life gets better after 40, smart women know that. Others, on the other hand, are sceptical about this time and cling desperately to the old. Not everything was better in the past and youth in itself does not make you happy. Women only need to know one thing:
Your attitude has never been as important as it is now. Check your thoughts and beliefs about age and being a woman. What you think about yourself at this age will come true immediately. Because you will dress, style, behave and dare or not dare accordingly. You will invite into your life exactly what suits your beliefs.
After 40, anything is possible, because you've never had the wealth of experience you have now. You are a loaded gun. Unless you fall for the media's simple-minded delusion of youth. Then you're probably an insecure little bitch. And before you become reticent at this great age, I'll show you 11 reasons why women over 40 have it better:
1. you know yourself and make better decisions.
Remember your younger years. It was often like driving a car on the motorway without a driving licence. You didn't know how to deal with yourself, you were looking for guidance, you didn't really know what made you tick, what suited you and what didn't. You didn't know how much you could take on, what you would like, what you weren't made for. Every new situation was a challenge, your feelings and emotions puzzled you.
That's over now. You've had 40 years to get to know yourself and can now make better decisions. You know exactly what suits you and what is better left alone. You have found out how you function, you know your emotional world and you know what your soul is thirsting for. You also know exactly what you will never be and can leave it alone.

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2. you are more generous with yourself.
You've driven yourself crazy long enough over every mistake you've made and have realised that, firstly, it doesn't help and, secondly, that mistakes are rarely tragic anyway. If nobody has seen it, you don't draw the others' attention to it, and if they have seen it, a shrug of the shoulders must suffice. Shit happens.
Explain to the younger ones how beneficial a shrug of the shoulders can be. My grandma has an incomparable "Ah!". Together with the hand gesture thrown away, it makes it unmistakably clear to everyone that they can ride around on it, but please outside the door.
3. you have understood that the others don't have a manual for life either.
I sometimes think back to a friend I was friends with as a young woman. He always gave me the feeling that he knew what to wear, how to behave, what to say, what was cool and what was embarrassing. I listened to him carefully because I wanted to learn how to "do it". I wanted to do things right. I didn't want to embarrass myself, I wanted to be cool and do things the way they should be done.
Aren't you glad now at the latest that you have your life experience? This friend lives a surprisingly average life today. I was surprised to realise how anxious he actually is. How little he dares to do. But that's how it is with people who always know so well how to do things. You and I know one thing - nobody has the instructions for your life in their hands. Not even you yourself.
Because it doesn't exist. Your life is a notebook, half of which you have already filled, but one half is still empty. It's waiting for you to create something that makes sense for you. For you. Not for your smart arse friends.

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4. your heart is a professional.
It has been trained and stretched for decades. Nothing will kill you so quickly. Lovesickness? I've been there. My heart is flexible. It gets over it. You don't give up on yourself just because someone doesn't think you're great. You don't fall so low when someone hurts you. You've seen it all before. Drama used to be. Today, maturity is the order of the day. You know how to comfort yourself, you know the ways to heal, you take crises as a challenge.
Above all, you already know that none of us are spared heartache. Everyone has stories to tell and they are not so dissimilar. Being human means being vulnerable and the challenge lies in not letting the heart become bitter. Staying soft and risking love because we already know the risk and know that no matter what happens, we will be made whole again. Because:
5. your dignity is more important to you than the affection of others.
We no longer go down on our knees because of a man. We are no longer immature princesses, but dignified queens and we don't let anyone fool us into thinking we're an X for a U. We trust our own perception and don't throw everything away because of a kiss. Unless that's what we want. But then we do it for our own pleasure and not for the man. After the heat of the moment, we put our crown back on untouched and forbid comments and judgements from those who have nothing to do with it. You can also make mistakes with dignity.

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I remember a former colleague who had moved to Salzburg from Germany because of a man. She had barely unpacked her suitcases when he left her. She said sublimely: "I'm an emotional person and I make emotional decisions. I have to live with the consequences." Full stop.
6. you no longer claim to be a jack-of-all-trades.
Sometimes the others look really stupid when women stop playing the egg-laying wool-milk sow for them! You have long since realised that you are not responsible for the expectations of others. You dare to disappoint others because you realise that they are only disappointed because they have unjustified expectations. You finally get out that slippery little word "No!" that slips out of young women's mouths far too often.
You are now much better able to deal with the pressure that your colleagues, parents, children or partner put on you. You have discovered that there is such a thing as your own space and have taught others where the boundaries are. How much you used to bend over backwards to please everyone! That would no longer be an option today.
7. you are tired of false modesty.
When you have done something well, you can accept recognition. You are no longer so childish as to hide your hunger for recognition behind the facade of "oh, anyone could have done that!". Firstly, you are no longer hungry for recognition because you have long been worth enough to yourself. Secondly, you can't see why people shouldn't thank you/reciprocate/ or pat you on the back accordingly. Thanks and recognition are gifts, if you reject them, you spoil the joy of everyone involved.

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But you can do even more. You can now stand up straight and say "I'm really good at this!". Self-doubt is hung up in the cloakroom. You know that other people's judgement often leaves a lot to be desired, so you help them out by discreetly pointing out your qualities. You have no problem with that. At a job interview, you don't tell them that you are "willing to learn, flexible and ready to play the doormat", but instead explain your unique qualities in no uncertain terms.
8. you manage your time better.
Remember how much nonsense you used to waste your time on. How you listened to chatterboxes for hours on end, how long you were prepared to wait for others, how generously you gave yourself and your time away. Now you know that your time is not infinite. You know that you have crossed the centre line and that time has become precious. You choose well who you give it to. You are no longer prepared to waste it. That's really good for you!
9 In bed, you know what you want and how to get it.
Sometimes you may wish you had your old figure back, but honestly, do you want to have the sex of your youth today? Sex is like cooking - in the beginning you're happy to get spaghetti and fried eggs down pat and you're prepared to live on them for months. Later on, the menu becomes more colourful and from the age of 40 you understand all the subtleties, spices and refinements. The willingness to take enough time for a really good, successful dish is significantly higher.

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As a good cook, you have also long since learnt to make others want to try your dish. You have a trained eye, a refined instinct and plenty of experience. Never mind your former figure, in bed it's all about feeling. What good is it if the cook is young and crisp if she has no idea what the spice rack is for?
10. you have learnt to trust your intuition.
After all, you've had your experiences by now. You know that your head often panics unnecessarily and you know that others may seem clever, but they rarely really know what's going on. Your intuition is now a welcome friend that you always have an ear for. You know that there is more between heaven and earth and you don't need science to prove it to you. After all, you are a mature woman and your antennae and inner compass are irreplaceable.
Remember how easy you were to impress as a young woman. How you always had to listen to a thousand opinions before you made a decision. Today you listen inwards. You have given up the idea that everything has to be logical, explainable or reasonable. You've simply seen and experienced too much for that.
11. you finally have time for yourself.
For most people, the children are out of the woods and freedom now tastes twice as good. This is a unique mixture of the fact that you have a better perception of yourself, that you have experienced how unfree you can be and appreciate freedom differently and that you are mature enough to take yourself seriously. You have a better view of yourself.
You may never have focussed on yourself as much as you do now. You've always been distracted - by jobs, relationships, children. And suddenly you emerge from the confusion of distractions and take a deep breath. "Here I am," you say and take a seat inside yourself. As a mature woman who still has many wonderful years ahead of her, in which anything is possible. It just depends on how you look at yourself and these years.

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