There are certain things I’ve stopped talking about publicly.

Politics is one of them.

Not because I stopped caring.

Actually, I think getting older has made me care about certain issues even more.

But I’ve learned how quickly political conversations can turn into arguments. People get fired up. We put each other into boxes. Sometimes it feels like you’re expected to choose a side and agree with everything that side believes.

I’ve also experienced what can happen when you’re very open about your views. My first brand was shut down, and after that experience, I became much more careful about mixing my personal beliefs with what I create online.

But lately I’ve been wondering:

Is it possible for our political views to change as we get older?

I think they can.

And maybe that’s not a bad thing.

The World Looks Different When You Actually Start Living in It

When we’re younger, it’s easy to have strong opinions about how the world works.

Then we start living in it.

We get jobs.

We pay bills.

We watch our parents get older.

We meet people whose lives are completely different from ours.

We struggle.

We succeed.

We get rejected.

We experience things we never expected to experience.

And suddenly, some issues don’t feel like political talking points anymore.

They feel personal.

I’ve started looking at politics less through the lens of Which side am I supposed to agree with? and more through the lens of:

What is actually happening to people?

Because there are things happening around us that don’t feel fair.

People Shouldn’t Have to Work Their Entire Lives Just to Survive

I look around and see people working multiple jobs just to afford everyday life.

I see younger people trying to build their lives while dealing with the rising costs that come with adulthood.

And I see older Americans who expected to be retired by now continuing to work because financially, retirement isn’t always realistic.

That’s difficult to watch.

People deserve more than spending their entire lives working just to survive.

Wanting people to have some breathing room shouldn’t have to belong exclusively to one political party.

Young People Don’t All “Just Not Want to Work”

There’s another stereotype that bothers me:

“Young people don’t want to work anymore.”

Sure, there are people in every generation who don’t want to work.

But there are also young people desperately trying to get someone to give them their first real opportunity.

Sometimes you can’t get experience because nobody will hire you without experience.

Sometimes you’re competing with dozens or hundreds of applicants.

Sometimes you’re trying to work while managing responsibilities other people don’t see.

And sometimes you finally get your opportunity after waiting years for someone to take a chance on you.

I know that feeling.

It Took Me So Long to Get a Chance That I’m Afraid to Leave

This is something I’ve struggled to explain.

It took me a long time to finally feel like I had been given a real chance in the workforce.

Because of that, part of me is afraid to leave.

Even when I think about wanting something different or wondering what else might be out there, there’s this little voice asking:

What if nobody else gives me a chance?

What if I leave and can’t find another job?

What if I have to start all over?

When you’ve struggled to get through the door, walking back out of that door can feel very different.

You don’t necessarily stay because you believe it’s the only thing you’re capable of doing.

Sometimes you stay because you remember how hard it was to get there.

I’m trying to remind myself that being grateful for an opportunity doesn’t mean I have to treat it as the only opportunity I’ll ever deserve.

Then There’s Being a Woman

I also find myself wondering why women can still feel like we have to prove that we belong.

We’ve made enormous progress.

Women are business owners, doctors, artists, politicians, scientists, designers, managers, tradespeople and leaders.

And yet there can still be moments where women feel underestimated, interrupted, dismissed or judged differently.

Sometimes the inequality isn’t obvious.

That’s what makes it so difficult to describe.

Nobody necessarily says, “I think you’re less capable because you’re a woman.”

Instead, you start wondering:

Would this conversation have gone differently if I were a man?

Would my opinion have been taken more seriously?

Would confidence have been interpreted differently?

Would I have been expected to prove myself this much?

You don’t always know the answer.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about the question.

And I’m Not Only a Woman

I’m also a woman with a disability.

That adds another layer to how I experience the workforce and the world around me.

Sometimes I wonder whether someone is underestimating me because I’m a woman.

Sometimes I wonder whether it’s because of my disability.

Sometimes I wonder whether it’s my age.

Sometimes it might have absolutely nothing to do with any of those things.

That’s another thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older:

The world is complicated.

Not every unfair experience can be explained by one thing.

But that doesn’t mean discrimination, sexism, ableism or stereotypes aren’t worth discussing.

We should be able to acknowledge that these things exist without automatically turning every conversation into a political battle.

Maybe Changing Your Political Views Is Part of Growing Up

I don’t believe changing your opinion necessarily means you were fake before.

Maybe you learned something.

Maybe you met someone who challenged what you believed.

Maybe something happened to you personally.

Maybe an issue that once seemed simple became much more complicated when you actually experienced it.

Maybe you realized you agree with one side about something and completely disagree with them about something else.

People aren’t political checklists.

We’re human beings.

And humans change.

I’d rather be willing to question something I believe than refuse to change simply because I don’t want to admit I might see things differently now.

I’m Less Interested in Sides Than I Used to Be

At this point in my life, I don’t want every conversation to become left versus right.

I want to be able to say:

I care about women being treated equally.

I care about people with disabilities receiving opportunities.

I care about younger generations being given a chance instead of immediately being labeled lazy.

I care about older people being able to enjoy retirement.

I care about people being able to afford groceries, housing and the basic things they need.

I care about people having lives outside of work.

And I care about people being able to disagree without immediately hating each other.

Those shouldn’t be radical ideas.

They’re human ones.

Maybe That’s What My Politics Look Like Now

Maybe I don’t need every belief I have to fit neatly underneath one label.

Maybe growing up means realizing that the world isn’t nearly as black and white as it once seemed.

And maybe changing your mind isn’t something to be embarrassed about.

It can mean you’re listening.

You’re learning.

You’re questioning.

You’re experiencing life.

You’re growing.

I’m still figuring out what I believe about a lot of things.

And maybe that’s okay.

Because I’d rather continue asking questions than become so attached to being “right” that I stop listening altogether.

Millennial Mind Reminder:

Your beliefs are allowed to grow with you.

You don’t have to choose between caring about people and questioning the system around you.

And you don’t have to stop speaking simply because the world has forgotten how to disagree without turning each other into enemies.