The Fabulous Forties

I just started my podcast, “The Brooke Burke Show.” I can’t wait to share it will all of you as I dish up all things family, marriage, love, health & wellness, and Hollywood. I interviewed so many inspiring people that I believe will surprise you and make you think.

After taking a look back at my 1st book, The Naked Mom, I laughed to myself thinking “If only I knew then what I know now”….isn’t that the inner dialogue for so many of us? So I wrote down some of my revelations that only growing up could teach me. I’m loving my Forties and grateful for the common sense that took me this long to figure out.
Enjoy.

• Safe is boring. Being brave is about action, not contemplation. Be stronger than your fears. It’s not the unknown you should dread; it’s never finding out.
• The best company you should ever wish for is your own. Being alone allows you to listen to you, to hear your own truths and welcome your own wisdom.
• You can never steal too many hours to snuggle with your children. Those delicious, innocent, gentle babies will grow up, torture your soul, jack up your car insurance rates and leave you. (But you will always be a mother.)
• If you’re not sweating, you’re not trying. Mother Nature f’d us, so kick her wicked ass by working out harder, stronger, smarter and more often. One sweaty workout can change your day around in ways that Prozac and triple-caramel macchiatos never will.
• Live out loud! What you have to say should be heard. Express yourself and stop editing.  Let it out, let it go, and move on.
• Do what YOU want. Everyone has an opinion, but you don’t need to collect all of them, or heed any of them. By 40, you know what feels good, what feels right, what is necessary, and what is not. Everyone else’s opinion is NONE of your business.
• Make love often. Touch is our language without words, our only sense that cannot be fully realized without another being. Touch can transform. You have the power to love someone into a better place. Read “The 5 Love Languages”.
• Life has no story line. There is no script. Forget woulda, coulda, shoulda. It’s all live improv.
• Comfort is fashionable. Wear sneakers. You never know when you’ll have to march.
• Raise the average of other women. We’re not in competition with each other.  Join the team, uplift other women. The tribe is strongest when every member feels purpose, respect, kindness and love.
• Love is a verb.  It’s work, hard work and it needs action.  Learn to love differently than you need to be loved.
• Keep an open heart.  Even in pain, stay open so you may feel your way though your learning opportunities.  An open heart has possibilities and the power to do anything. It’s the only way to fully give and receive love.
• Be your own best friend.  Compassion is essential to every woman.  Be kind, give yourself personal compliments.  Keep your inner dialogue positive, you body is listening to everything you think.
• Find your purpose. Fulfillment happens when your life has meaning. Do something important.  That charity that you support will warm your heart.
• Understand how to  give and the power of helping another, especially a total stranger.  It’s infectious and universally necessary.
• FUCK LUCK (thx Molly Guy in Vogue for the inspiration)  What are you waiting for?  You’re 1/2 way there, get serious.  Make a bucket list, a mood board, whatever it takes.  Stop thinking so much, visualize and get to work!
• Don’t take life so seriously!
• Time is a thief  and slows for no one. Time is the most valuable thing we own. Choose wisely how you spend it and with whom. Edit your life frequently.
• Figure out what he needs and give it to him. He won’t be happy until you do.
• Carve out one on one time for your kids.  They need it, they just don’t know how to ask for it.  Don’t wait until they’re too old to want to hang out with you. Take a trip, have a sleep over, go on an adventure, plan a stay-cation, do something they love.
• Be the friend you wish you had. Show up. Know how to be there for someone! Friendships are a pitch/catch rhythm. Instagram/Twitter/FB won’t keep you connected.
• Be magnanimous. Do something for a perfect stranger.  Acts of kindness breed other acts of kindness. It feels good to give.
• Get uncomfortable. Know how to sit in your challenges.  Being in pain will help you get out of it.  Stop disconnecting. Growth happens in times of struggle and resistance. Honesty will turn your lights on.
• There is freedom in forgiveness.  Resentment and anger are toxic. I’m not saying give someone a hall pass, I’m saying forgiving will free your soul.
• Social media isn’t good enough. Know how to write a thank you note and get personalized stationary.  Thank you is the most powerful phrase in the world.
• Breathe…..deep belly breaths.  5 minutes can change the course of your day.  Exhale anything that does not serve you.  It’s that simple.  Let go of what you don’t need.
• Hit pause …sometimes not responding is the smartest thing you can do.  Taste your words before you spit them out. Words hurt. Live in knowledge not reaction.
• Go through what you need to go through.  Deal with your stuff!  If you haven’t by now it’s all coming. The forties are about insight, revelation, and getting to really, really understand who you are.  Most of our struggles have nothing to do with anyone else, it’s our own shit.
• Hold yourself to a higher standard.
• Be hungry…early life was about discovery and survival, then the baby making & nesting years took over, then “who-the-hell-am-I? Now its time to bring the focus back to you and get hungry for the next chapter….
• You will always be a mother simultaneously while being the enemy. Teenagers are evil….don’t take them personally or too seriously.  They are not fully awake!
• They will break your heart, blow you off and defy you before leaving you. Love them anyway.
• Happiness looks hot at every age. Yeah, we’re getting older but aging gracefully is a choice.  If you don’t like you laugh lines, smile more so no one sees them.  P.S. know how to work your filters on social media – it’s much easier to filter your wrinkles than fill them!)
• Scare yourself, fear will tell you what to do! Be faithful,  be spontaneous, be committed, love deeply, never ever give up, laugh a lot, be a good friend, keep your word, sky dive, love your body, do yoga, drink coffee, get your ZZZ’s, use your Baccarat, light candles, call your Mom, plant a garden.
• My motto…..Less EXPECTING more ACCEPTING.
• At 45 I decided to partner up with UNCERTAINTY and live with the spirit of a child.  Forever and ever and ever.

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