The First Time I Ever Felt Old — And Why Every Woman in Her 30s, 40s, and 50s Should Pay Attention

Embracing Perspective: Why Becoming the Woman You Once Admired Is Remarkable

Vicki Thomas

Co-Founder/ Chief Purpose Officer

My Future Purpose

This week, something unexpected happened to me. As I walked into a business networking meeting, I experienced a burst of negative self-talk.

My mind whispered, "Are you really doing this again at your age?"

I sat down around the table and realized that most of the professionals around me were decades younger than I was. For the first time in my life, I felt old. That feeling caught me completely off guard.

For decades, I had always been the youngest woman in the room. I was the young woman breaking barriers at the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). The woman building a television career. The entrepreneur. The Purpose Prize winner. The author.

I had always moved forward with my generation beside me. But suddenly, I experienced what felt like time travel.

And another voice quietly asked, "Shouldn't you be done by now?"

Then I stopped myself.

• At 80, I wrote a book.
• I am recording my own audiobook.
• I am building My Future Purpose.
• I am speaking.
• I am studying younger generations.
• I am co-leading professional organizations.
• I am still planting seeds.

Most people my age are talking about what they used to do. I'm talking about what I want to do next.

And that's when I realized something important—something I wish every woman in her 30s, 40s, and 50s understood.

One Day, You Will Become the Woman You Once Looked Up To

When we're younger, we admire experienced women. We notice their confidence, wisdom, and perspective. What we don't realize is that one day, we become her.

The challenge is that society doesn't prepare women for that transition. We spend decades building careers, raising families, solving problems, and showing up for everyone else. Then suddenly, the world starts asking a different question:

"Are you still relevant?"

Here's my answer:

Absolutely.

But relevance changes.

• In your 30s, people value your ambition.
• In your 40s, they value your leadership.
• In your 50s, they value your expertise.
• Later in life, people value your perspective.

Perspective is earned. It cannot be rushed.

For Younger Women, Here Is What I Hope You Remember

Do not fear aging. Build a life that will still excite you decades from now.

• Stay curious.
• Keep learning.
• Invest in relationships.
• Develop interests beyond your job title.

Because one day, your children will grow up. Your career will evolve. Your title will change. But your purpose can continue. Purpose does not retire.

• Neither does curiosity.
• Neither does contribution.
• Neither does influence.

At that networking meeting, I realized that I was old enough to be some of those professionals' grandmother.

But I don't need to compete with them. I bring something they cannot possibly bring yet:

Perspective.

And perhaps, twenty years from now, some of those younger professionals will remember:

"There was this woman named Vicki. She was 80 years old, had written a book called From Woodstock to Wisdom, and she still showed up with more energy than most of us."

That's legacy.

So maybe I am not too old. Maybe I simply had the unsettling—and beautiful—experience of realizing that I have become the woman I once admired.

And frankly, that sounds pretty remarkable.

To the Women Still Climbing

Don't spend your life fearing age.

Spend your life becoming someone you'll be proud to meet when you're 80.

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