Have You Lived the Best Years of Your Life Yet?

When you reach a certain point in life, you start becoming philosophical about things. As a writer, it’s easy to frequently think about the things you’ve gone through and things that are happening now, and wonder about your future.

I’ve been a frequent thinker since way back. I always have had the tendency to over-analyze things. It could be due to being raised in a controlling, religious household. Perhaps I just have a curious mind, as a fairly intelligent person. I’m constantly thinking about so many topics I could write about.

This happened once again this morning. As I struggled to get out of bed, like a turtle flipped over on his back, I attempted to get up without pulling a muscle. It helps to stretch a bit while still in bed.

I have to be careful though and dodge Libby’s excited little dog tongue. She’s always so happy to see me rise from the dead each morning. I sleep soundly.

As I got up for my morning routine of coffee and responding to Medium notifications, I started thinking about life at age 48. Am I living the best years of my life right now? Or were they 30 years ago? 15? Coming soon? I had to think this over.

When determining something as arbitrary as this, one must first consider the criteria for determining the answer to this philosophical question. What factors help us decide if life is good, bad, ugly, or somewhere in between?

This can differ for every person, depending on your goals in life, relationships, and religious views. What feels right for me may not be the same things you yourself judge this topic by. That’s ok, we’re all different.

A big part of knowing whether you’ve already lived the best years of your life or not is your health. It’s difficult to feel that you’re living your best years if you are in constant or frequent pain.

Physical health is important. Do I hurt constantly or is any physical pain infrequent or minor? I can tell you at 48, I feel it at times more than others. Waking up is like having to warm up a big old 1950s Buick. Take it slow, and ease into things. Let it warm up before you attempt to drive it.

Mental health can be an even bigger aspect of overall health than one’s physical health. Am I happy for the most part? Or do I feel sadness or anger more than happiness? Do I struggle with staying focused, or have anxiety or depression?

All of these factors come into play at your current age, compared to how you’ve felt in the past, or are heading toward, in the future. They are important to consider when thinking about if you’ve lived your best years already.

Age has much to do with the equation. When we’re children, we don’t consider that time to be the best years of our lives. While living rent-free and not having to have jobs seems appealing in my mind, as a kid, you’re going through much more.

Making your earliest friendships in life and trying to fit in is a big part of early life. Navigating the waters of parent/child relationships can be wonderful, horrible, or somewhere in between. Having to deal with puberty is not always a fun time.

Early adulthood is often a good time in one’s life. I loved the freedom of being on my own for the first time. I learned though about having to work hard and earn enough income by working less-than-ideal jobs. But as a young adult, it felt worthwhile.

Your job or career is another factor in determining if you’re living your best years currently or not. My first jobs served a purpose: To make money and pay the rent while feeding myself and having enough left over for fun things.

Having an actual career versus just a job can be a wonderful thing in one’s journey through life. When I started selling real estate, I loved it. Previous jobs had only taken me so far. Having success in real estate during my first few years made life feel incredible.

I earned far more earnings than I’d ever had before or since. But a lot of stress came along with that. Having to chase every lead and convince the customers to become my clients took its toll on my mental health. Especially when the market tanked and it was time to find a solid side hustle.

Carpet cleaning became that side hustle. It paired well with real estate. I’ve helped over 150 agents and their clients since 2011. It pays well. But it’s tough on my back, physically. I still do a few here and there, but just whenever someone asks.

Starting my writing career at age 47 seemed less than ideal. It’s not an easy thing to make a full-time living at. But I love it. It’s easily the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done. In fact, it rarely feels like work.

One other category that plays a huge part in whether you’re living the best years of your life is relationships. A wonderful, loving relationship can make life feel better than it ever has. You feel you can accomplish anything with that loving, compatible person by your side.

The reverse of this is being with someone horrible. If you think back to the lowest, worst times of your life, you may find yourself focusing on one shitty relationship that you allowed yourself to endure for far too long. Perhaps you’ve had more than one.

Having peace in your household is one of the best feelings in the world. Coming home to a happy, fun, safe-feeling place after a long workday helps in life. Coming home to a battle over bullshit every day can cause feelings of despair and anguish.

We have no guarantees of how long we have on this Earth. I could be at the halfway point of my life and loving every minute of it, as I do right now. Or, I could drop dead from a heart attack, or get into a fatal car crash on the drive home from the office.

My point is this: We don’t know if we’re currently living the best years of our lives, the worst, or somewhere in between. I encourage everyone to fully appreciate where you are at in the journey. Live in the now.

But be conscious of your past. Make good decisions in the present that can affect your future in a positive way. Take care of your physical and mental health. Find your passion and invest your time in it. Love and cherish the people you are close to.

You may be living the best years of your life right now. Perhaps they passed you by some years ago. Strive to do good things right now, in order to make the most of the time you have left in this life. &:^)