As my 50th birthday approaches, it’s time to pause and reflect on lessons learned along the way, the forces that have shaped me and the people that have influenced me. Each has contributed immeasurably to my outlook on life at 50.
Asked to share with you my reflections, I came up with my 10 most influential. Enjoy!
Ten years on from writing these, I would not remove any of them. What has changed is which ones I find hard. At fifty, kindness and curiosity came easily and balance was the struggle. It is still the struggle.
Number six is the one I would tell you to start with. Balance is not something you find. You create it, or you do not have it.
Cite this article
Reference list
Satterthwaite, M-J. (2017) Fast forward to 50: ten lessons. Revised August 2026. Scope Vision. Available at: https://scopevision.com.au/blog/fast-forward-to-50 (Accessed: [insert date]).
In text
(Satterthwaite, 2017)
Keep reading
The same reflection, written the year before, and addressed to somebody who could not yet hear it.
Finding my Grit: A Journey of Courageous Decision Making
Where lesson four came from, and what it cost to learn.
Lesson six, worked out properly. Balance is a set of decisions, not a feeling.
Which of the ten
are you still working on?
The like button just below is how I know this landed.
And if someone came to mind while you were reading, send it to them. That is the better compliment.
