Fearless over 50

by Mikaela Dery | 24 Oct 2017

You need only look at Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren (both in their 70s') stealing the show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year to know that confidence has no age limit. Thanks to a recent study, there is now data to back this up. 

The study, commissioned by Apia Health Insurance, surveyed more than 3000 Australians aged over 50. They found that 86% of respondents feel their lives are more fulfilling now than in their younger years, 84% no longer sweat the small stuff and 80% have shaken off self-doubt.

Furthermore, they found that 53% of Australians over 50 are more confident in travelling to new places now than in their youth, 50% are more confident in learning to use technology and 44% have more confidence in their appearance.

It’s something that Sally Thibault has experienced first-hand. At 55 she left her job to write a book, which later became an Amazon best-seller.

“The newfound confidence, coupled with the wisdom of life, was the impetus that pushed me to take the leap I would never have considered years before“ she says.

Following the success of her first book Thibault went on to write another, while also running seminars and mentor programs for women in business. In 2018, her business is set to launch in Canada. 

Yet her success and confident mindset have not come without moments of insecurity and self-doubt. She recalls driving home one night after a particularly challenging speaking presentation.

“Only five people turned up,” she remembers. “It was cold and raining, and our money was running out. It was one of those moments when I really questioned my sanity. What was I thinking at my time of life to be putting everything we had worked so hard for on the line?”

Thibault’s ability to overcome her insecurities stems from her desire to be a role model for her three children.

“How could I tell them to follow their dreams and believe in themselves if I wasn’t doing the same thing?” she says. “So one day, I made a decision that I was not going to consider a ‘plan B’. From that moment on, everything changed.”

Sally’s confident sentiment was echoed by Head of Apia Customer Value, Geoff Keough.                                                

“Over-50s are too often typecast as ‘set in their ways’ and ‘stuck in the past’, despite their extensive experience and perspective,” notes Keough..

“Age is nothing but a mindset and, as our research shows, we’re actually more confident than ever in challenging ourselves to try new things.”