What is balance? 

The definition in the dictionary is “a state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces.”  In my mind it is this illusive moment in time where everything is exactly as it should be; that you imagined in your ideal mind.  The problem is, if you ask any skier, gymnast or ballerina, one minute you can have balance and in the next minute it’s gone.  It is great when you have it, and you can practice it to get better, but in the blink of an eye you could fall off the balance beam on a very easy move, run into an icy patch in the snow or tip over during a pirouette, it happens even with the best of the best.  In our lives, as mommies, entrepreneurs or mompreneurs your child gets sick, you have the good fortune of being featured in Oprah Magazine, your internet goes down or any of another million things can happen to throw us off balance. 

I received some really great advice before giving birth; there is one school of thought that you should have a very detailed “birth plan,” but someone said to me, have a birth plan and then throw it out the window because what will happen will happen and all you care about is having a healthy child.  For me, I had to be induced into labor because Asher’s heart rate was dropping, another great friend went through 26 hours of labor before finally giving into a C-Section, and while this didn’t follow our birth plans, we both have happy, healthy babies and that is truly all that matters.

My point is, yes, have a plan for the perfectly balanced life, where you are working the exact right amount, you are giving enough attention to your family and friends, spending enough time with your children (if you have them), working out enough, eating three meals…and then throw it out the window.  One great advantage of entrepreneurship is that there is a certain amount of flexibility, you might have a crazy hectic week at work, then the next week you take off on a family vacation or you might have a sick child (and then get sick yourself like I did) and work from bed, push off all your appointments but you do what you have to do to get better, you might work out  every day one week because you have time and the next you find your exercise is running for a taxi. 

Just remember that balance is fleeting; enjoy it while you have it, but when you fall, don’t dwell or make yourself wrong, just get back up and enjoy the ride.

Here are some great things to remember about launching or expanding a business over the age of 40:

Confidence comes with age—embrace your age, it is only though age and experience that we gain confidence in ourselves and our skills! We have traveled, we have been consumers of products and services; this is what helps in creating ideas and putting yourself out there as an entrepreneur. We have lived ladies and this is one of our most valuable resources!

Prioritizing family, friends and passion—after spinning our wheels in the rat race for long enough many women are ready to step back and enjoy life, even if that sometimes means making less money.   I have seen many women leave high paying/high pressure corporate positions to strike out on their own and run their own show allowing more time to spend with the kids, travel and do what they love.

Are you an entrepreneur in your forties, fifties, sixties?  What experiences gave you the confidence and motivation to launch?