Blog #76. Does the World Still Need You? (YES—More Than Ever!)

[This is Part 1 of What We Bring After 50, a six-blog series exploring the power of service in our third chapter. Each week, we’ll look at a new way the age-experienced add value—wisdom, continuity, leadership, and creativity—while reaping benefits ourselves.]

Am I still needed? Society tends to nudge women over 50 toward the sidelines, whispering that our moment has passed. It is a sneaky message, and one we’re all too apt to believe.

Let me answer your question. YES! More than ever.

But, serve? For many of us, that word comes with baggage. Maybe you hear it and think of committees where you got “volunteered” because no one else raised their hand. Or maybe it conjures years of unpaid labor—organizing birthdays, caretaking friends and family, fundraising for causes, or smoothing social rifts. Honestly, you’ve been serving your whole life. The idea of more might make you want to hide under the covers with a pint of Rocky Road.

Yes! The World Needs You.

Before you dive under the covers with that ice cream, let me tell you a secret: service in your third chapter isn’t about giving until you’re empty. Service is about being refilled. Surprised? Here are five reasons the answer to ‘Am I still needed?’ is such a resounding YES.”

1. Gratitude Multiplier. When you help someone else, you notice what you already have. That awareness builds gratitude, which acts like a mental immune system. Stress softens, joy sharpens. It’s less “why me?” and more “lucky me.”

2. Wealth & Abundance Mindset. Service reframes scarcity. Instead of thinking, “I don’t have enough time, energy, or relevance,” you discover, “I do have something valuable to share.” That abundance mindset doesn’t stay in the volunteer hall—it sneaks into your finances, your friendships, even how you see your health.

3. Connection & Belonging. Isolation is a sneaky thief in our later years. But service? It stitches you back into the fabric of community. You’re no longer “the invisible older woman”—you’re the thread that holds things together.

4. Purpose & Agency. Service is a rebellion against irrelevance. Every act whispers, “I still shape the world.” You’re not fading into the background—you’re taking up space at the center of things.

5. Emotional & Physical Health. Science backs what our bones already know: helping others helps us too. Volunteers have lower depression, stronger cognitive health, and even longer lives. Call it Vitamin S for service!

Over the next five weeks, we’ll explore the many ways people over 50 add value through service:

• Wisdom & Perspective – sharing insights that only come with lived experience.

• Connection & Continuity – the glue that keeps families, communities, and traditions alive.

• Leadership in Action – guiding with clarity and courage, in boardrooms or backyards.

• Creativity & Growth – sparking reinvention, joy, and surprise at every age.

Here’s the truth worth tattooing on your heart: the world needs you—and you need it, too. That mutual exchange? That’s where wisdom meets wonder.

If this resonates, share it with your friends and family, because wisdom only grows when it’s passed along. Come join me at WonderCrone.com as we kick off this journey together.