5 Reasons Why It's Great to Be Over 40

The fortieth birthday is a scary one for many people, but there is no real reason for it to be bad. Sure your coworkers probably got out all of the black balloons and the "Over the Hill" signs, but don't let that make you feel bad. There are a lot of great reasons why turning forty is something you should be happy about and not sad.

1 - You Made it this Far
As little as 100 years ago, reaching 40 was not something that was a given even for many people living in developed countries such as the United States or Canada. Even today in some countries the life expectancy is still under forty years. You made it all the way to forty and still have plenty of years ahead of you. As of 2008 the life expectancy for the United States is over 78 years! Assuming you don't start doing something stupid now (like smoking) you have just now barely reached the halfway point of your life.

2 - People expect less of you
There's a lot of young people in the world today, and they can be quite annoying. But the great thing about young people is that they have already written you off as some old person. When it comes time for them to move or they need a hand cutting wood, they will go after someone "younger". Let them! While they are hauling boxes up and down stairs you can sit back in your easy chair and laugh.

3 - The Sex is Better
Young people think they have a monopoly on sex, but they have no idea what they are missing. You are forty (or older) and have accumulated decades of experience while they still think that leaving the lights on is something new and mind blowing. You ever wonder why you see so many older men with young girlfriends? It's because she knows that her older guy is going to last longer than 3 minutes, knows how to take care of HER in bed, and knows things that guys her own age think only happen in internet porn videos.

4 - You know stuff
By now you know how to change your own oil, how to fix a flat, repair a toilet, defrag a hard drive, and program a universal remote. Sure that 20 year old guy in the next cube might be able to text at 50 words per minute but if the windshield wipers on his car stop working he'll be putting out $200 in mechanics bills while you just laugh and buy a new fuse for 30 cents.

Not only do you know the practical stuff, you know the big picture stuff as well. You know that the idiots on TV talking politics are just that - idiots. You know that every time the stock market crashes it's not the end of the world and you are smart enough to avoid this years latest self help fad or doomsday predictions. You have 40 years of wisdom to guide you while the younger generation is still trying to find direction in song lyrics and internet gurus.

5 - Life Just Plain gets Better
When you take reasons 1-4 and put them in a bag you get a lot of good reasons to be happy about where you are right now. You can take on every day knowing that you are experienced enough to handle just about any situation that might come up. You have suffered through enough bad things in your life to know that you can always come out on the other side. You know that a breakup, a job loss, or an empty wallet is not the end of the world. You can take everything in stride with confidence knowing that no matter what life throws at you, you can chew it up and spit it right back out. Life is good and you know it!