Jennifer Lopez Shares Game-Changing Advice About Succeeding at Any Age

Jennifer Lopez can do it all—movies, music, fashion and more.

While the statement is an obvious one, it couldn’t ring more true today. On Monday, the 50-year-old icon released her highly-anticipated shoe collection with DSW—which features sexy pumps, spring-ready espadrilles and glitzy sneakers.

“I’m home, hoping you’re all safe. Here is a little something to maybe brighten your day…,” she shared on social media, alongside details of her latest launch. “I’m so proud to launch my new footwear collection.”

Even when the world is hitting the pause button with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Bronx native is, as she put it, still making “lemonade out of lemons right now.”

For the Hustlers actress, working hard is part of her DNA.

Speaking to Elle magazine, Lopez opened up about her ever-evolving career, the game-changing advice on how we can succeed at any age and how she’s staying busying as she works from home.

“I’ll tell you what I wish I’d known about being 50 when I was younger: It’s not over,” Lopez explained, after being asked if women can really look like her at that age (keep in mind, the publication’s interviewer read a headline from the Wall Street Journal with the same question).

“When I was in my 20s, I don’t know what I thought about being 50 except that it was basically just the end,” J.Lo continued. “I didn’t think I’d be in the best shape of my life. I didn’t think I’d be able to say that in a way, my career is taking off, even though I’ve been going for a long time, you know?”

For the 50-year-old star, it’s all about rebelling against the outdated idea that a woman can’t excel after a certain age. Because, to her, age is just a number and we can all succeed no matter how old we are.

“I have so much experience now. I have the knowledge that, if I use it, is a huge advantage,” she shared. “The narrative women are told is that you’re kind of put out to pasture at a certain age. And what I’ve found is that it’s the total opposite.”

She added, “If you keep working hard and pushing yourself, you can be better as a person physically, mentally, emotionally. Stop asking, ‘Will I look like that?’ and just ask, ‘What do I want to do next?’ Because you can make it happen, you know? And nobody ever told me that.”

Even as people partake in social distancing amid the COVID-19 outbreak, J.Lo is still thinking like an entrepreneur and staying busy while she’s at home. 

“We’re all stuck at home right now,” she said. “I am! Everybody’s quarantined and the world is upside-down and crazy. So we’ve gotta make lemonade out of lemons right now, don’t we? We have to find ways to focus and work from home, but also finding things to keep our spirits high.”

“For me, working from home is reading scripts, developing new projects, even working out and learning new dance routines,” she added. “Because now, you can use the time to prepare. At some point, hopefully soon, we’re going to bounce back. We always bounce back.”

Her advice? “I don’t know anything that makes me happier than shopping for a pair of shoes.”

“And that’s not to make light of this very serious situation,” she pointed out. “And the people working very hard to stop it. But we have to stay human and we have to keep our sense of humor in hard times, as well.”

Lopez, who is a mother to twins Emme and Max, is also using this time to enjoy being with her family.

“This is such a difficult time for everybody. There are so many people who are sick. We just want to contain it and work from home. Even my kids are working from home and they’re 12! They’ve got virtual school now, and we’re all home together, which I’m really happy about,” she said. “To me, there’s no greater luxury than getting to spend real time with my kids.”

You can read Jennifer’s full interview, here!