“I lived in a very small world. We were poor, but we didn’t realize we were poor because everybody else was in the same boat.”
These are the words of Minnie Payne on the day she completed her Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas in December of 2023.
She was 90 years old.
She went on to tell ABC News that, “I’ve always tried to better myself. When you gain an education, you better yourself and you better those around you. And, of course, you gain knowledge. And I know a lot more now than I did to begin with.”
Courtesy Ahna Hubnik/University of North Texas
When I consider all the excuses I’ve been piling up with growing older –brain fog, holding my menu at arms distance, an uncooperative midsection – her accomplishments are remarkable.
I might even be tempted to think of this as an isolated incident. A one-off case of “Super Granny” conquers the collegiate world.
In reality, the number of women who don’t start gaining momentum UNTIL midlife is quite impressive. Here’s some of my most noteworthy favorites –
- Mel Robbins – Podcast host, author and motivational speaker launched her show, “The Mel Robbins” on the day she turned 54 in 2022. Within 8 short months, her audience was reaching hundreds of thousands. Proof that she brought a solution that we were hungry for – how to live our best life!
https://www.melrobbins.com/podcast
Julia Childs – I remember my mom watching her show when I was a child. Julia published her first cookbook when she was 50 years old and then turned into a celebrity chef with her own cooking show. I believe that also makes her a pioneer in reality TV!
https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/julia-child-fun-facts-for-foodies/
Martha Stewart – She is the master of building momentum in midlife even amidst adversity. You have to admire her grit. Starting with a catering business in the 1970’s, she completely rebranded in 1991 at age 50 to launch Martha Stewart Living. That quickly morphed into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia,Inc. The brand as we know it today. Even with a quick dip on the dark side of legality, Martha was able to bounce right back and keep all of us on our toes in the entertaining world.
While we could sit back and think these women have some kind of unique “super-power”, I believe gaining momentum in midlife is something that’s available to all of us. There’s no reason to let the “great pause” preempt a “it’s all downhill from here” attitude. What if picking up steam after 50 simply involved a mindset shift?
Creating life momentum requires a continual evaluation of our environment. Are we continuing to grow where we are right now? Are the people within our inner circle excited about the journey ahead? Am I dreaming, planning, tracking new habits to move forward in life? If we are struggling with answers to any of these, it could mean we need an environment change and that means learning new things.
Everyday is an opportunity to learn, to change and to grow. If you’re ready to gain momentum here is the beautiful cycle that takes place within that I’ve come to call “The Knowledge Equation.”
If you were to simply pull out the Webster’s Dictionary you might receive definitions of knowledge like a “collection of facts or information”. If we checked in with our friend the “Thesaurus” we’d receive words like – expertise, mastery, learning, capacity.
I view knowledge in a more visionary way. It’s like taking our “basket of knowledge” out into the woods ready to collect. We know enough to be selective about what we’re collecting. Not everything we like will make it into the basket. In fact, on this particular day we are gathering herbs and mushrooms to use for cooking. We spend time plucking from the earth exactly what we need, pushing aside what will not be useful and setting our eyes to find the prize. Once our basket is full we return back home.
Many of us will walk in and set our “basket of knowledge” on the kitchen counter. In many cases that is where our knowledge journey stops. We gather information and facts and they get shelved. Eventually they get discarded as junk filling up the kitchen counter. Momentum stops and the downward slide begins. There is nothing to propel us forward.
However, there are those who draw the “basket of knowledge” close to the vest. They sit with it and explore its contents. They take a deep dive and desire to develop a stronger knowledge and utilization of what’s inside. They become curious, ask questions, jot down notes, seek to understand.
They may consider how the contents may be used and whether their families and friends would benefit. How might their clients take these nuggets and put them into action in their own lives. The questions and curiosity expand.
We may even consider this “seek to understand” phase relationally as well. I have my own working definition of seek to understand. It is to stand under the weight of another person’s experiences in life. Instead of folding our arms and closing off towards others who are different from us, what if we sought to stand under the weight of what they’ve been through in life? What if we ask them how they came to their beliefs and understand the person in the context of their experiences – would that change our perceptions? Perhaps then we would know what goodies we have in our “basket of knowledge” that would best serve them, instead of discounting them as a person altogether.
Now our momentum is picking up!
Once we’ve gathered the knowledge and we’ve done the hard work of seeking to understand, there is a third step. Unfortunately, very few ever make it to this step. The ranks of those who accomplish steps one and two are many and I read their lofty words and complex jargon in professional journals and textbooks. Their words do not create a curiosity in me to learn more, but rather a frustration to close the book and stop the research. While they may sound impressive to their own limited audience they will never gain momentum, because they lack this last tastiest of morsels – application becomes wisdom.
Only the best of leaders, teachers and communicators get this right. It is an art that signals mastery of one’s subject matter. It is where true momentum is found. If we’re able to gather the knowledge, seek to understand it and then be able to communicate the complexities of what we’ve discovered in a simple manner which invites curiosity – well then we’re ready to pass the baton!
The wisest amongst us, invite others to learn and grow alongside them. They take the knowledge that they have attained and present it in such an uncomplicated way that we ourselves are intrigued to go out and learn more. The Knowledge Equation becomes a beautiful cycle of gathering, understanding and application!
If you’re seeking to gain momentum in midlife, choose one thing to start. Find a mentor who delivers wisdom on your subject and invites you into a new world of learning. Consider what you are curious about and start gathering knowledge around that. Take a deep dive into understanding and then learn it so well you could teach it to a fifth grader. Invite others into the journey with you.
Once you’ve passed the baton to another, start afresh with something new and exciting to gather and learn from. You are gaining momentum my friend!
