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I am turning 40 on the 24th of June, only next week. Im so excited. Im heading off to New Zealand for a year to study Film making on the 29th. I have worked hard for a year to save and have written many scripts for movie ideas. My dreams are coming true! To have a career from my creative abilities. And I have a successful online business that will ‘come with me’. Onwards and upwards!

The ugly – one year ago I left my abusive partner, no children thank goodness! It took me 8 months to sort out who the hell I was! After being bed wench, cuppa maker, housemaid & cook for 13 years I lost myself.

I feel ‘free’ I am reclaiming myself! Yes I can save money! Yes I can have my own business! Yes I can pay all my bills, Yes I can travel, Yes I can hope, Yes I bloody well can….

Okay people, I’m turning the big 4-0 in less then 2 weeks. To some women this might put them in crisis mode ….but not me. I think being 40 will be great! I’m young enough to still be healthy and active, and old enough to be mature and insightful. Yes, it would be nice to have the bod I had at 21, but do I want to go back to that time? No way. Back then I thought I knew it all–but I didn’t have a clue about what life was really about. A real understanding about the truly important things in life takes years to learn….and even now I’m still working on those lessons. I bet I’ll continue to work on life’s lessons for many, many years to come.

Being the giving person that I am (don’t laugh!) I am going to share my top 10 ways to stay young and beautiful….even after turning 40. This has not been scientifically researched (but who really cares?) so I will not be held accountable for side effects or um……accidents if you try these top 10 things. Don’t say I didn’t warn you Side note: These little nuggets of wisdom are in no specific order. (Just thought I’d add that for those of you that are very particular about those types of things.)

DAWN’S TOP 10 SECRETS FOR STAYING YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL

What do you do when your dreams come true? Except for being fat, I really don’t have any serious complaints about my life so far! I have a great wife. I have an amazing one year old child. My parents know I love them. My brother knows I love him, although I have not spent enough time with him lately.

I have been successful enough in various businesses to have the things I want – Home, Second Home, freedom to travel to wherever I want. I am starting a philanthropic venture. I am starting a little cafe just for the fun of it. But I still feel something strange in my stomach about turning 40?

From Best Years by Mike Bellah

According to sociologist Christopher Lasch, Americans often view their 40th birthday as the beginning of the end. And with the recent explosion of midlifers–12,000 a day now turn 40–this makes for a multitude of anxious people. But 40 does not signal the end to productive living; it never has. Want some proof? Consider these examples.

at 39

In 1775, Patrick Henry urges the Virginia Provincial Convention to arm its militia for defense of the colony. His words become the battle cry of the American Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death.”

When  I awoke the morning I turned 40, I realized that the life I had had thus far was largely not of my planning. So I decided to finally make my own plan for the next 40 years. I’ve always found it hard to write down what I want and even harder to put it in context from a time perspective. This process which I describe below worked so well that next month my wife and I plan to include our two children in their own goal planning process. This is how I finally broke through and wrote down my plans.

1. Open up excel or some other spreadsheet program

2. Across the top of the sheet place the year for as many years as you want to work with