One of the great luxuries of living in our third chapter is the gift of time. We have more time to explore, indulge old passions, and discover new ones. We have time to travel, linger over coffee with a friend and time to decide what really matters. Those are the luxuries we tend to celebrate.
But may I suggest there’s another luxury we don’t talk about nearly enough? It has nothing to do with money or minutes. It’s the luxury of letting yourself change your mind.
There’s great freedom in not needing to fit the picture you once had of yourself.
For much of our lives, we’re encouraged to be consistent. We choose a career and stick with it, we acquire opinions and defend them, we settle into routines, habits, and ways of seeing the world that eventually become part of our identity. Changing our minds can feel uncomfortable because we’ve been taught that consistency is a virtue, and we worry that changing course means admitting we were wrong.
Consider that changing your mind isn’t a sign that you were wrong, perhaps it’s a sign that you’ve grown. When we’re younger, we often feel pressure to be right, to live up to the expectations we create for ourselves, and the expectations others have of us. But life has a way of broadening our perspective.
Experiences reshape us; loss adjusts our priorities. New friendships expand our thinking, and we recognize that success doesn’t always look the way we imagined it would. The things we once chased may no longer matter quite as much, while the things we once overlooked often become the things we value most. That my friends is wisdom at work.
“Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
– George Bernard Shaw
Perhaps one of the greatest gifts of the third chapter is recognizing that we’ve earned a certain freedom: we learn something new and as a result, see a situation or a person differently. I’ve certainly changed my mind about many things over the years. I’ve changed my mind about what makes a life meaningful, I’ve changed my mind about friendships and about what success looks like. I’ve changed my mind about what deserves my energy and what doesn’t. I’ve learned that letting go of an outdated version of myself isn’t losing who I am. It’s making room for who I’m still becoming.
That may be one of the biggest myths about aging: that by a certain age we’ve become a finished version of ourselves. But what if we’re never finished? What if curiosity isn’t something we leave behind in childhood, but something we carry with us throughout our lives like a compass? Curiosity encourages us to keep asking questions. What if your best friendships haven’t happened yet? What if there’s a hobby you haven’t discovered yet that could bring you joy? What if you’re still becoming the person you were always meant to be? These questions invite us to remain open to what’s possible.
At Wellings, the spirit of possibility is part of everyday life. It might be trying a new fitness class, discovering a new favourite meal, joining a conversation that turns into a lasting friendship, or simply giving yourself permission to live a little differently than you did before.
Remember every new experience and every new thing we learn begins with curiosity. We like to think that Wellings is a community for people who believe their next chapter can surprise them. Perhaps changing your mind isn’t about leaving something behind, maybe it’s about making space for possibility.