Still Learning: Reaching Goals in Midlife

No one tells you how surprising midlife can be.

Sure, we hear about the aches, the reading glasses, the emptying nests; but no one really talks about how alive this part of life can feel when you give yourself permission to grow again.

This month, I reached a milestone that’s been years in the making: I finished my Master of Public Health.

Yes in my fifties. While working. While raising a family. While showing up as a wife, a mom, and a nana. While balancing everyday life with the quiet, persistent voice inside that said: you’re not done yet.

For a long time, this degree felt like a far-off dream. Something other people did, something I maybe should do. But somewhere along the way, it shifted from should to must. Not because I needed the letters behind my name; but because I needed to prove to myself that I could still set a goal and chase it down, even with a few more laugh lines and a calendar full of obligations.

Midlife has a funny way of revealing what you’re really made of.

We’ve done the early career hustle. We’ve packed the lunches and juggled the sports schedules. We’ve loved hard and lost some things along the way. And if we’re lucky, really lucky, we start to realize that this season isn’t the beginning of the end.

It’s just another beginning.

Finishing my MPH taught me a lot about health disparities, chronic disease, and the communities we serve. But it also taught me about me. About grit. About showing up tired. About asking for help. About trusting that even if it takes longer than planned, the finish line is still waiting.

So if you’ve been thinking about going back to school, starting a new career, writing that book, or learning to play the damn ukulele…consider this your permission slip.

You’re not too old. It’s not too late. And you don’t have to have it all figured out to start.

We’re still learning. Still growing. Still becoming.

And that’s something worth celebrating.

What’s a dream or goal you’ve been holding onto?
Drop it in the comments or send me a message. I’d love to cheer you on. And if this post resonated with you, share it with someone else who might need the reminder: You’re not done yet.