by Melissa D. Ing

Created on: September 08, 2007   Last Updated: January 29, 2012

Initially several years ago the expression Forty is the new thirty', was applied solely to women, now in 2007 the expression applies equally to men. So why are we losing a decade of our lives? It is not just because we are living longer, but the fact that we are able to continuously reinvent ourselves.

While medical inventions have allowed us to live longer, our fast paced changing society allows us to choose who we want to be. No longer are we expected to graduate college marry and have babies before the magical age of thirty. The 1970's instilled a fear in women that they were past their sell by date if not married by the age of thirty. Today the average age of a first time bride is 31.

A positive aspect of 40 being the new 30 is that we have more career choices. Neither men nor women have to be satisfied with the work history of our parents. We no longer join big corporations in the expectation that in twenty years we will have worked our way to the top. Instead on average an American will have four to seven different careers over the course of their working life.

Our global economy is making us global nomads. People stay in post secondary education longer, travel globally to find work, and often return to school multiple times. While choice is good, there are negative aspects to 40 being the new 30.

People have never been lonelier. Divorce is an epidemic; our children are growing up with more emotional issues than ever before. Why? As adults continuously re-invent themselves families are breaking up. When family life, like work no longer suits us we just go off and create a new one. No longer is it uncommon to find couples in their mid 40's planning a whole new family while children of mutual previous marriages struggle to integrate themselves into a new family, or get left behind entirely.

Living longer gives us choicer career options than have ever existed before. If your 40 and seeking to re-invent yourself great; chase after new work business, financial, friendship and spiritual opportunities, continue to grow in the 21st century. Just don't chase continuously after new relationships.

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