Does Your Why Shine? A Guide to Finding Purpose After 50

Woman in her 50s walking along a garden path at sunrise, carrying herself with quiet confidence, symbolizing walking with purpose through the stages of life.

I'll be honest with you—I'm not a regular churchgoer. It's not that I don't believe in something bigger than myself, but I've always been a little wary of putting too much trust in people who claim to have all the answers. So when I found myself sitting in a pew next to my parents during a recent visit, I wasn't exactly expecting a lightning bolt moment.

But then the pastor asked a question: "Does your why shine?"

Discovering Your Purpose Over 50

She painted this picture: imagine a stranger following you around for an entire week. At the end of those seven days, would they be able to tell you what your purpose is? Would it be that obvious? That visible?

I sat there thinking about my own week. What would a stranger see? Anything worthy?

How Your Purpose Evolves in Your 50s and Beyond

Here's what really got me: she said your why changes as you move through different stages of life. And isn't that the truth? The purpose that drove me in my thirties looks nothing like what matters to me now. Back then, maybe it was building a career or really just surviving my depressive thoughts.

Now? It's different. Deeper. More about legacy than achievement, more about meaning than milestones. This is one of the gifts of being a woman over 50—we finally understand that our purpose isn't static. It grows with us.

Learning to Say No After 50: Protecting Your Purpose

She also talked about the power of "no."

"It's hard to live your purpose when you say yes to everything," she said. And I felt that in my bones.

How many times have we said yes when we meant no? Yes to volunteering for yet another committee. Yes to hosting when we're exhausted. Yes to advice we never asked for. Yes to relationships that drain us. Yes to expectations that aren't even ours.

Why Setting Boundaries Gets Easier with Age

The pastor put it this way: sometimes saying no gives you the ability to say yes to your purpose. No protects our yes. Every time we say no to something that doesn't align with who we are and what we're meant to do, we're actually saying yes to our higher calling.

So I'm asking myself—and maybe you need to ask yourself too: What have you been saying yes to? Is it the right thing?

Living with Intention in Your Second Act

Because at this stage of our lives, we don't have time to waste on the wrong things. We've earned the right to be selective. We've earned the right to walk with purpose and guard that purpose like the precious thing it is.

Your why should shine so brightly that strangers can see it. Not because you're shouting it from rooftops, but because it's woven into how you spend your time, where you direct your energy, and what you say no to.

Finding Clarity and Direction After 50

I left church that Sunday with a new lens. I started looking at my calendar differently, evaluating my commitments through this filter: Does this help my why shine? Or is this just noise?

Maybe you need to ask yourself the same thing. What would that stranger see if they followed you around for a week? And more importantly—is that what you want them to see?

Because our why should shine. And at fifty-plus? We're finally wise enough to know that protecting it isn't selfish. It's essential.

What's your why? How has your purpose changed as you've grown older? Share your thoughts in the comments below—I'd love to hear how other women over 50 are walking with purpose and guarding what matters most.