IF YOU ARE A MAN: HERE ARE 20 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO BEFORE
YOU TURN 40
I went for a colleague’s birthday outing few years back as he
clocked the proverbial 40 years of age. I have heard people say ‘A
fool at 40 is a fool forever’ and I suppose they meant that there
are certain things you can’t fix anymore once you have gone past
age 40 or simply put, there are certain things you ought to have
done or stopped doing as you celebrate your 40 years on earth as
a man.
Many believe that asides achy joints which are the main reasons
we slow down as we get older, the brain part in charge of motion
may also start a gradual downhill slide at age 40. New research
also suggests that in middle age, even healthy people begin to
lose some of the insulation in a motor-control part of the brain —
at the same rate that their speed subtly slows. Dr. George
Bartzokis, a neurologist at the University of California, Los
Angeles, who led the work, concluded that this explains why it is
hard to be a world-class athlete after 40. So, in other words, if you
want to be the Tiger Woods of this world, Usain Bolts, Christiano
Ronaldos and the likes, you must have achieved that before you
turn 40.
Now, here are 20 things I believe you should do as a man before
you are 40, please note that this is not anywhere near
comprehensive and the application of this list may vary from one
man to another, But I think if you start with these 20 things, you
might just be on the right track going into that dreaded middle
age era of your life.
1. Have A Relationship With Your Creator: It doesn’t matter
how you choose to communicate with the creator; by age
40, you should have a relationship with God in your own
way, except if you are an atheist.
2. Have Healthy Respect For Creation: 40 is not the age where
you should start learning about how to value other human
beings, how to treat and respect them and how to take care
and charge of the environment you live in. You ought to
have done that way before.
3. Dump The Skinny Jeans: Except you are a performing artist
or something close to that, please throw all your skinny
jeans away no matter how fashionable they are, or simply
give them to that your little brother of yours just entering
the University.
4. Control Your Alcohol: People shouldn’t be bundling you
home from a gig, or picking you up from the gutter the day
after your friend’s daughter naming ceremony. At 40, you
must be in control of yourself if you take alcohol.
5. Know The Purpose Of Money: By this time, you should
know that man makes the money and not the other way
round. So, If you still go around trying to oppress
‘homeboys’ and impress every chic in your neighbourhood
because you have some money in your bank account,
maybe you are not really 40 afterall.
6. Know The Difference between Making Love and Fu**ing,
And When Which One Is Appropriate: Thankfully, we are
talking to adults here, who shouldn’t be lectured on how to
give pleasure to their partners when necessary. So, please
know the difference, if you don’t, ask your friends to teach
you. Lol
7. Know Your Worth, Your Value And Your Non-Negotiables:
Back in my village, they used to say “Whatever we will not
agree to when we become wealthy, must be subtly rejected
while not as wealthy” it simply means, at 40 people you
must stand for something and people around you must
know what you stand for. You can’t have a fickle mind at 40
and expect people to take you seriously.
8. Have A Firm Handshake: you know those CEO like
handshakes? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Your grip
must be firm and sure by the time you are 40 especially
when your job makes you to formally or socially meet lot of
people.
9. Have Appropriate Shoes: Please brother, just like the jeans,
some shoes are not just meant for you when you are 40.
Even if you have 2 pairs, let them be appropriate for
whatever occasion.
10. Have Some Money Saved: Well, I know Nigeria is hard but if
you have a job, please have some money saved for rainy
days. Some unplanned health issues might arise, you might
lose some old parents or grandparents; and I suppose if
any of that happens, you don’t want to start running
around like a headless chicken for ‘chicken change’ abi?
11. Have A Purpose Or Be On The Road To Finding One: Have
you heard that when a man discovers the reason or the
purpose for which he was born; that is when he starts
living? If you haven’t before now, well you just read that.
So by 40, you must have known why you are born, you
must have discovered purpose and daily working at
achieving it.
12. Visit Your Alma Mater: If you are reading this, then I’m so
sure you went to a primary school at least. So, it is
recommended that you walk on the nostalgic path again,
meet your old teachers (if they are still there) take a look at
your classroom and the bench that you used to sit,
contribute something, be a role model or just relive your
memories. You can do same with your secondary school
and higher institution as well.
13. Apply For Your Dream Job: Don’t look back later in life with
regret, wondering what could have been. So before you are
40; equip yourself and apply for the job you’ve always
wanted. It may not lead to any dramatic career choice, but
unless you give it a shot, you will never know.
14. Be A Mentor: There is no reason you should not have at
least one person that you inspire; one young person
looking up to you, while you provide direction.
15. You Can Still Find A Mentor: The good news is, as you are
mentoring somebody, you can also still find another mentor
of your own even at 40 as you’re never too old to learn from
someone older than you. You can continue with the ones
you have had from your twenties or simply look for a fresh
one and add them up, but we all need some form of
mentorship no matter the age.
16. Be Successful In Your Chosen Field: I don’t mean you must
have had plenty money and build mansions in Lekki. But
even if you are a carpenter, you must have mastered the art
of carpentry to the extent that people will look up to you
and respect you because of your work.
17. Get Married Mbok!: Except you are a monk, you are
expected to have had your own family before you turn 40.
Even though, some factors are militating against many of us
in this part of the world. But please strive to start a family
before 40 unless you plan NOT to have one at all.
18. Be Done Sowing Wild Oats: This is almost like the one
directly above, but except that we all know a good number
of married men still sowing their wild oats. Please, once
you are 40, you shouldn’t be running after every Jennifer,
Shade, Ijeoma and Aminat. Abeg, amend your ways!
19. Be Prepared For Retirement: You are 40 and the truth is you
might not live up to another 40 years and if you do, the
productive years are now considerably shorter. So, if you
are not fully prepared for retirement by now, please start
planning before you hit 40.
20. Do The NEEDFUL: Remember I said the application of this
list may vary from one man to another, so my last advice is
that you do whatever is needful for you to have a
successful post-40 life. I hope I have been able to get
across to you. See you soon.

for more visit www.cotonou9ja.com