What does it mean to 'live life fully'?

‘Living fully’ or ‘living your life to the fullest’ might sound like something you read in magazines but to me, living a full life isn’t about the money you’ve got, the success you’ve achieved or (as Asma Khan says to Holly on her Conversations of Inspiration podcast episode), what dress size you wear. It’s about spending the 29,000 days we have on the planet filled with purpose and passion. It’s about giving it all we’ve got. Ultimately, it’s about living authentically on our own terms, and not settling for anything less.

Why women should seize the day

I strongly believe in helping women flourish because if we don’t do it now, when will we? Between us, we’ve spent decades raising the future, empowering the next generation, creating a better world through business and making conscious decisions about what we choose to buy. There’s a great deal on our shoulders. Isn’t it time now for us? Shouldn’t we spend this one life we’ve got in the best way we possibly can? As Oscar Wilde said, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” And truthfully, are many women just existing?

How we spend our time now will be the deathbed moments we look back on. Are we as happy as we could be? Are we fulfilling our richest potential? Are we loving with all our hearts? Because when we hit mid-life, it’s easy to be tricked into thinking you don’t have choices, that your time is somehow up or that dreams should now be packed away neatly in the loft next to the Christmas decorations, whereas in actual fact, I call bullshit!

How do you find your purpose in midlife?

They say that when a woman turns 40 she becomes invisible. Yet surely the opposite should be true? We’ve survived tough challenges, know what we like and believe in, who we are and the kind of world we want to live in. We deserve to feel like we’re making the most of our lives and that we are phenomenal friends / mothers / partners / women — and that no-one works / has stories / gives gifts / dresses / thinks about life and so on quite like we all do.

We want to make our mark at work, at home and on the world around us — not despite our age but absolutely because of it. We want to be our best selves for others as well as for ourselves and to show those we love most, just how much and why — while we still have this golden chance. We have more experience and wisdom than ever before which should absolutely set us up for success. Now we just need to get the confidence to go with it.

Being our authentic selves

Plus, being our authentic selves is brilliant. To be good at being ‘us’ is the best thing we can be. So we need to stop languishing and start flourishing; to treat ourselves well physically, mentally, creatively and soulfully. And for women to really flourish, we need to live a life that’s authentic to us, not one designed to please other people (whether that’s kids, a partner, work or whoever). We also need to grow into it — that means being prepared to learn from scratch. We should set ourselves milestones that we feel real joy in accomplishing, not mindless tasks to simply get things done. “Yes Holly. That’s all very well said. But how do we do it?!” Well I’m glad you asked…

How to get your confidence back

We need to get our collective confidence back. If you feel life is passing you by, don’t let it. Start small and do things that give you joy. Feel the triumph of the achievement of becoming even more ‘you’. Bring out your creative side. Decorate the way you always wanted to. Wear that bright red jumper. Take on a challenge. Vote with your money for the kind of world you want to live in. Surround yourself by radiators not drains (those who give you energy, not those who suck it out).

Sources: 1. JAMA Network study, 2019