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Aging gets a bad rap. Think wrinkles, back pain, not knowing what the latest TikTok trend is. But let’s be real: there are plenty of things we happily leave behind as we get older. With time comes clarity, confidence, and the sweet relief of not caring so much about things that once consumed us. Turns out, some of the baggage we drop with age wasn’t worth carrying in the first place.

When you’re young, life can feel like a nonstop audition as you try to impress, keep up, and check all the boxes. But as the candles multiply on your birthday cake, so does your wisdom. You start to understand what’s actually important, and what’s just noise. The best part? You realize you haven’t really lost anything at all, and you’ve gained freedom instead.

Here are a few things many of us leave behind as we age, without shedding a single tear:

The Need To Please Everyone: Once upon a time, we did mental gymnastics just to keep everyone happy, even if it meant draining ourselves dry. But age brings the realization that not everyone’s approval is worth chasing. These days, we save our energy for the people who truly matter, and let the rest go with a smile and a wave.
Needing To Have It All Figured Out: We used to panic if our life plan wasn’t airtight by age 25. Now? We know that no one actually has it all figured out, and that’s kind of the point. Life’s a work in progress, not a finished spreadsheet.
Toxic Relationships: Drama-filled friendships, emotionally draining partners, one-sided work connections…no thanks. Aging helps sharpen our boundaries and our nonsense detectors. We’d rather have a few solid, loving people than a crowd full of chaos.
Being Afraid Of Saying No: Back in the day we said yes even when we wanted to scream no, then stayed up all night regretting it. Now, we’ve discovered the magic of a firm, guilt-free “No.” It’s empowering, it's healthy, and it doesn’t require a three-paragraph explanation.
Worrying About Your Appearance: We used to fixate on every wrinkle, every pound, every comparison. But now we know beauty isn't about flawless skin or perfectly toned arms. It’s about energy, confidence, and kindness.
Chasing The Spotlight: Being the center of attention used to feel like a win. These days, we’d rather be heard, respected, and left in peace at a dinner party. The spotlight is overrated, especially when you know your worth doesn’t depend on being the loudest in the room.
Comparing Yourself To Everyone Else: Social media used to send us into a spiral of “Why don’t I have that life?” But now we get it: everyone’s on their own messy, beautiful, unique path. Comparison is the thief of joy, so we’ve learned to focus on ourselves and our own joy.
Rushing Through Life: We used to sprint through our days, schedules jammed, productivity maxed, rest ignored. But age whispers, “Slow down.” And that’s a good thing, really! Now we savor the moments, prioritize peace, and know that being busy isn’t the same as being fulfilled.
Trying To Control Every Part Of Your Life: Younger us tried to fix people, predict outcomes, and bend life into our perfectly designed plans. That’s pretty hard to make happen, especially day after day, year after year. Now, we lean into flexibility, trust our resilience, and accept that sometimes the best things happen when we loosen our grip.
Chasing After Superficial Things: Titles, awards, shiny new toys so you could keep up with the Jones…we used to chase them all. But as we age, we value purpose and joy over artificially inflating our own egos. We don’t need a gold star to know we’re doing just fine.
Worrying About Past Failures: In youth, every misstep felt monumental and every wrong turn felt like the end of the world. But with time, we realize that failure was just a part of the ride (and often the most educational part). These days, we carry wisdom, not regret, and keep moving forward a little stronger than before.

Source: Your Tango

Bob Delmont