AgeLoudly!!!!: The Shedding of an Old Identity and the Creation of a New One. “Age Like It Matters: Because it Does!”
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AgeLoudly!!!!: The Shedding of an Old Identity and the Creation of a NewOne. “Age Like It Matters: Because it Does!”
by
L.T. Force, Ph.D
Gerontologist
There comes a decisive moment in life when you realize that the identity you have been carrying no longer fits the future you are meant to live. For many, this realization becomes sharper with age. Not because we are declining — but because we are clarifying. Aging is not erosion. It is refinement and obtaining a sense of clarity. And refinement requires shedding.
The Identity That Once Served You
We all constructed identities to survive, succeed, belong, or protect ourselves. The achiever. The caretaker. The quiet one. The strong one. The agreeable one.The entrepreneur. The invisible one. Some of our personal identities are shared publicly and socially. However, we all have “internal identities” that we keep to ourselves. Not every thought that we have - do we share publicly or interpersonally. There is a “hidden or self-contained self that we all possess”..
Each of our identities have value. They help us navigate expectations, relationships, careers, and crises. They are adaptive. They are intelligent.
But what once protected you…. can eventually restrict you.
AgeLoudly!!!! means recognizing when an identity that once served you has begun to silence you. You come to the decision that: “you want change, you need change….its the time for change”.
How Do You Know the Shedding Has Started?
The shedding begins quietly.
• You feel restless in roles you once embraced.
Your former definition of success feels hollow.
You begin questioning long-held patterns.
You feel a subtle grief — not for what you lost, but for what you have not yet expressed.
You sense a widening gap between who you appear to be and who you truly are.
This is not a crisis. It is a summons.
The Courage to Enter the In-Between
There is a psychological hallway between identities…a transition. You are no longer who you were — but not yet fully who you are becoming. This space can feel uncertain. Vulnerable. Exposed.
Many retreat at this stage. They double down on the old identity because it is familiar.
But AgeLoudly!!!! is not about comfort. It is a rallying call to go forward. It is about alignment.
In the in-between, you begin asking:
• What do I value now?
What no longer aligns with my integrity?
What parts of me were performance?
What parts were authentic?
What am I willing to release so I can become visible in my own life?
The Creation of a New Identity
A new identity is not invented — it is uncovered….it’s a process of evolution.
It forms when your actions begin aligning with your self-truth.
It strengthens when you establish boundaries without apology.
It stabilizes when you no longer require external validation to confirm your worth.
You know the new identity is emerging when:
• Your decisions feel grounded instead of reactive.
Your voice carries clarity rather than defensiveness.
You experience peace where there was once performance.
You act from conviction instead of fear.
You feel internally congruent….a sense of balance
Age Loudly: Identity as Evolution
Shedding an old identity is not betrayal. It is evolution.You are not rejecting your past. You are honoring it — while refusing to be confined by it. To “AgeLoudly!!!!: Age Like It Matters” is to accept that growth does not stop at midlife. It does not stop at retirement. It does not stop at 70 or 80 or beyond….It deepens.The older we become, the less tolerance we have for living half-authentically. The shedding accelerates because clarity accelerates.
Final Reflection
If you feel unsettled…If you feel the stirrings of misalignment…If you sense that something inside you is asking to be seen…The shedding may already have begun.The question is not whether change is happening.The question is whether you will participate in it consciously. “AgeLoudly!!!!: Age Like it Matters….Because it does” and your identity is not fixed….it is unfolding.
