Some Inspiration for your MONDAY!
Some Inspiration for your MONDAY!
Happy Monday to you. Women in Transition Online is undergoing a facelift! During this transformation, no pun intended, I found myself in need of a little INSPIRATON.
This video and subsequent campaign is not new. If you are not already familiar, it started years ago with a video about a gentleman named Juan Mann from Australia and his simple desire to be hugged and to make others smile. It was a huge success with national coverage and even today racks up hits and comments on you tube. It was his desire to spread the campaign and message and a number of “Free Hugs” campaigns were mounted and filmed. The one below is from Hollywood, California and is one of my favorites. I love the song used and no matter what is happening in my life, when I watch this or any of the free hugs campaign videos I can’t help but smile and feel inspired. I hope it does the same for you. Enjoy.
If you receive this blog via email and want to view this video click on the link below.
http://www.womenintransitiononline.com/blog/
I hope you are having a fabulous day!
Warmly,
Deborah Hayes
Life lessons from a tennis match?
I find it inspiring to see athletes who have found the strength and devotion to excel and succeed at what they love to do. As I watched the best of the best I began to ponder what set these athletes apart from what must be thousands of tennis players aspiring to become the best.
Surely there were moments, months and periods of time when they were discouraged and tempted to “give up.” During these matches there were a number of interviews with some of the coaches of these fine athletes and I noticed something that each kept mentioning. Aside from work ethic, conditioning and skills there was often the mention of belief and attitude.
After hearing that mentioned throughout the day I tried watching some of the close matches with that perspective in mind. I began to notice subtle differences between two players who were very closely matched in skills. There came a point in those long games where the one who allowed the possibility of losing to enter their mind lost the match. As I watched from this perspective I could see the moment in body language, facial expression and attitude. At times when the opponent would have spurts of revived success it was obvious the victor, regardless of the score at the moment, was convinced he or she would win. Regardless of what was happening in the match the winner looked and waited for the next opportunity to better apply their skills. The one who seemed to refuse to consider loss and never gave up ultimately became victorious. The winner possessed a one pointed focus and beief that never wavered.
The second thing I noticed; these athletes refused to focus on or discuss any recent or present injuries or problems. In every pre- game interview attempts to get the athlete to comment on or discuss the issue was flatly denied!
After watching several of these matches with this point of focus I began to make the important connection of belief, attitude and focusing only on the positive in all aspects of our lives.
As for the loser, the commentators often spoke of players reviewing these matches to discover parts of their game that need improvement and working on them for the future.
“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”
William Arthur Ward
As you move through your day focus on looking for and adopting the positive things you want in your life. The more positively you think the more positive your life will become. The choice is ours!
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NEW DOWNLOAD!!! Relax and visualize your dreams. Register for a site account and download your FREE mp3 Guided Visualization Meditation.
TO YOUR DREAMS
What’s your level of “happiness”?
Do you know what you really want in life? Have you taken the time to really slow down long enough to take stock of just where you are and where you want to go? What do you think of your life as it is?
As the years tick by and the roller coaster we call life continues on its nonstop ride it is easy to forget to take stock of what’s on the inside. It only makes sense. We do it for our financial well being. We do it for our health with regular visits to the doctor for checkups. Why is it that we don’t make a concentrated effort to look at our life, goals and level of happiness with equal diligence?
Here are ten big questions that might help you to illuminate what you are feeling about your life. Take some quiet time alone when you are comfortable and relaxed and answer these questions. Write as much as you want; write freely and without self consciousness. Use as much space as you would like and take as much time as you need. (You don’t have to finish this in one setting.)These questions are designed to expand you! No one needs to see this but you so be as honest with yourself as possible.
Ten Big Questions
1. What is working best in your life right now?
2. What is the most challenging aspect of your life right now?
3. What do you like about yourself?
4. What one aspect of yourself would you most like to change?
5. Are you willing to change it now?
6. What motivates you?
7. How do you deal with “failure” or making mistakes?
8. What typically holds you back from going after what you want?
9. What one big thing do you want more of in your life?
10. What are you willing to do to get it?
Before you can change something in your life you have to know what it is you want to change. You have to get absolutely clear with yourself. Find what it is that you want; not what society says you should want to make you happy. Taking the time to discover what you really want and why you haven’t achieved it are the first big steps towards getting it. Once you clearly define this you can devise a plan. You can get passionate about it. You can focus on it, expand your ideas, and find the tools and people who can help you. You can develop a pattern of certainty and believe it is inevitable…. and achieve it.
“There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming.”
Soren Kierkegaard (b. 1813, d. 1855)
Answer these questions! You might be surprised at what you discover!
v NEW DOWNLOAD!!! Relax and visualize your dreams. Register for a site account and download your FREE mp3 Guided Visualization Meditation.
TO YOUR DREAMS
How to relieve stress and achieve your goals, Part II
As I was searching last week for useful ways to eliminate stress I stumbled upon a really interesting practice helpful for achieving goals and dreams. Most of you are probably familiar with visualization as a method to achieve success. Athletes, speakers and all sorts of people have used this method with great success.
It involves quieting your mind as in meditation and creating a clear vivid picture of what you want in your mind. The idea is to repeatedly and positively think about your mental picture adding more and more details to it until it becomes very real to you. As you allow your imagination to expand your picture you actually feel yourself having it, touching it, using it and hearing what people will say to you when you obtain it; until you see and feel it actually exists. You are consciously creating a movie picture in your mind and with enough positive feeling and repetition it will become a strong belief, real and attainable. With enough positive energy and focus it manifests in your life.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all have experienced this to some degree or another. From simply believing and knowing we would find that “close in” parking space in the packed lot at Christmas time to nailing that interview or presentation. It’s those times when everything about the event seemed to feel smooth, right and effortless from beginning to end.
This is not a new phenomenon. There are many wonderful books devoted to the subject of visualization. If you are interested in changing anything in your life this practice is worth trying. I am currently re-reading two books listed below as references on the subject and I have found them really helpful in my attempt to master this skill but you may know of or find others you would prefer. I do recommend you find something on the subject to help you as this is a big subject and there is certainly a lot more to it than I have shared here.
Does it work? I believe that it does. The secret ingredient to make it so: Belief. Regardless of what method or path you take to change your thinking or life you must, at a minimum, be open to the idea that it could work. I also share the opinion and have personally experienced the reality that we believe, accept and change only when we are ready to do so. In my life and in hind sight I can recognize there were many things previously available to me that I simply was not ready to hear, see, acknowledge or accept. We all grow in our own directions and at our own pace. I have come to realize for me that is one of the things that makes this world so interesting.
I can truthfully say that if you do choose to give this an honest try I know the change in the way your life is moving can be dramatic. I knew a man who I am now convinced exemplified and perfected this visualization process. At the time, this was many years ago, he was said to be magnetic, charismatic, dynamic, crazy, lucky and even a genius. (The last one on the list he shamelessly enjoyed and promoted) I used to say he was the luckiest and most positive person I have ever known. As I look back on him now I truly believe what he was actually doing, unbeknownst even to himself, was visualizing his dreams and goals with total unwavering conviction and belief. No one could penetrate his certainty and confidence in whatever goal he chose. Although his life was shorter than it should have been, he lived every minute of it completely and for the most part joyously surrounded by many who simply wanted to be near the powerful energy.
Of course this sounds so easy but quieting the mind if you are stressed, worried, anxious or feeling less than confident about yourself can be quite a feat. This brings me to the tool I discovered which, although also not a new technique is something I have never previously explored and one I am currently finding useful to assist me with my visualizations. It is an article on self hypnosis and a technique called Best Me I found on wikihow.com. It is a short but well written “how to” on self hypnosis in conjunction with visualization and I am having some pretty good success with this! Perhaps you will too….
http://www.wikihow.com/Hypnotize-Yourself-Using-the-Best-Me-Technique
It is also a fabulous aid for relaxing, relieving stress and insomnia!! Good stuff. Check it out.
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens….”
Carl Jung
v I hope you found this article useful and if you enjoyed it please don’t forget to bookmark it on delicious or email it to a friend. Your support is appreciated!
Outside resource:
§ Book: Creative Visualization, Shakti Gawain
§ Book: Mind-Power, William Walker Atkinson
How to relieve stress and achieve your goals, Part I
I just read the Sunday newspaper for the first time in months! As I sipped on my coffee and turned the pages I could literally feel my mood and energy level diminishing. Even though I try to keep my exposure to the media at a minimum I still manage to see and hear more than enough to be aware of the number of challenges we all face. It was quite a shock to experience what I felt as I read page after page of problems, doom and gloom! The worst part it all was the hopeless feeling of being unable to change anything I read about. These are challenging times we are living and the resulting stress can be mentally and physically detrimental to our lives. As our society moves faster and faster it seems we are less likely to be in a supportive atmosphere at the very time we need it the most.
Think about this list on a few of the generally agreed upon health problems stress is believed to be related to:
· Lack of sleep, energy and concentration
· Anxiety, neck and back pain
· Quick tempers and a lack of tolerance for even minor upsets
· Headaches, mood swings, anger, sadness and even depression
· Autoimmune diseases
· Eating too much, too little and usually the wrong things
· There is research lately that links stomach bloating to stress
Clearly relaxation and relieving stress would be extremely beneficial not only for our health but also for our happiness. Surely most of us will agree feeling tired, depressed and full of anxiety is not conducive to finding happiness or achieving our dreams and goals. It doesn’t sound like a state of mind that would be beneficial to creativity either! Since I am not immune to these feelings I set about discovering ways to alleviate these thoughts so I could be in a better position to find and do the things that are important to me. I started with my two pearls of wisdom in my mind:
· The one person I know I can change is me.
· If you look for something long enough and hard enough you will find it. So why not look for something good.
I looked long and hard and I found what I think are some really helpful and powerful tools. I hope you find them useful as well!! The first, below, is for relaxation. Maybe it’s because I live in the desert but I find the sound of rain can put me in a peaceful mood quicker than anything. The video below is a full uninterrupted ten minutes of it. Ahhhhhhh.
Secondly, I’d like to share an outstanding booklet written by Doc Childre, founder of HeartMath, a leading stress research institute. De-Stress Kit for the Changing Times is compassionately written and provides a number of simple practices to help anyone who is experiencing an emotionally challenging time. Register for a site account, if you don’t already have one, and download a PDF of this 15 page booklet for F.R.E.E. I found this to be the kind of inspirational tool I know I will refer back to on those occasions when I find myself feeling overwhelmed or discouraged. It really is good. I read my copy while listening to the rain!!!
I hope you find this information as helpful as I do and will check back next week for Part II of this article. I will share with you a VERY interesting tool I found to help you visualize and achieve your goals!!
Until then….
Warmest regards,
Deborah
Excavating Your Dream
Is your dream machine stuck in a holding pattern? If you’ve been living on auto pilot; moving through one circumstance to another and doing what you thought you should or had to do, you might want to spend a little time and effort on changing your routine . Ruts, isolation and repetitive lifestyle patterns are dream killers. If you do this long enough you become stuck on auto pilot and might not remember how to fly the plane on your own!
Remember the old saying old habits die hard? That may be true but it doesn’t mean you can’t change them. This is the effort part of the deal but it is actually fun once you get started. You need to remember it’s not enough to just think about it, YOU HAVE TO DO IT. If you continue on the same path it will absolutely lead you to the same place! Be brave and step outside the box. Here are some ideas to get you going; once you start I’m sure you will have your own good ideas. Don’t be stingy, share them with us.
1. Do something different. Actually, make that anything different and completely out of the norm for you. Try to think of something that is fun and a little bit, or a lot, of a risk for you. Here are some basic starter ideas.
1) Have a hen, (girlfriend) party and paint henna tattoos on each other. You can buy kits that come with stencils. It’s fun and it isn’t permanent.
2) Hmmm, if you’re really feeling brave you could get a real tattoo! A little something to celebrate finding your dream.
3) Decorate your bike. Get a funky bell for your bike and clothespin a playing card to the spokes of the wheel. Remember that joyous noise and feeling when you were little?
4) Fly a kite behind your bike. Don’t have a bike? Rent one.
5) Go to the book store and find a book about what interests you; a place you want to visit or live. Then make a collage about it or create a story with stick figures of your visit or move.
6) Get a tarot card reading!
7) Find a piece of old furniture that appeals to you or purchase something unfinished and paint it with wild colors and designs.
8) Take up calligraphy.
9) Take a short day trip and wander the shops and sites.
10) Buy and learn to play an exotic instrument. Maybe a washboard, harmonica or small drum.
2. Stop comparing. I think this is biggest detriment to being happy and creative and it is so engrained in our society. Learn to appreciate yourself and discover your unique talents. We all have them. Be your own person and stop thinking about what anyone might think of you or your ideas. We are not meant to all be the same. How boring would that be?
3. Find supportive friends. Seek out those people in your life that are supportive and applaud your ideas. Enthusiasm, creativity and positive attitudes are contagious. That is exactly what mastermind groups are about. Attend one of these groups and you will come away inspired and filled with new momentum. Why not create a group of friends that are also trying to find or achieve their dream. Try meeting once a month to brainstorm and come up with ideas on how to explore and help each achieve your dreams and goals!
4. Learn to be a little selfish. This could be the hardest change to make. As women we are so accustomed to taking care of others first and it does not serve us or anyone else well. If we are not happy, vibrant, fulfilled, growing and confident we have very little to offer anyone else. Get used to this and voraciously guard your “me time”. This is important. If you find resistance from those close to you in the beginning, persist. They will thank you in the end. When your life feels better, theirs will too. It really is a win-win situation.
“The Important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are;
For what we could become”
- CHARLES DUBOIS
At the risk of sounding like a broken record…. Time is precious. Women today will live healthier and longer than ever before. It’s exciting, exhilarating and a little frightening to be blessed at this time of unparalleled opportunity for women to craft a life we love. Take a little risk and get those creative juices flowing again.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”
– MARK TWAIN
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Happy Fourth of July!
Time to celebrate the birth of our nation
A time for picnics, fireworks and barbeque
When we stop, take a breath
Spend some quality time with friends and family
And appreciate the freedom
To live life on our own terms
ENJOY
Have a beautiful day
Warmest regards,
Deborah Hayes
THE BIG BLACK HAT…
Yesterday I went shopping with my daughter. Her husband’s boss will be in town and she needed something to wear when they go out to dinner. The call to shop came on short notice and for this kind of excursion it is imperative to have someone entertain the baby, a curious two year old, while she shops so I agreed to go. I had on a comfortable black wrinkle peasant skirt and a safe black t-shirt. I threw on some flip flops and we were off.
While Alexis was in the dressing room Mackenzie, who shares my love of hats, and I noticed a very attractive woman of a certain age trying on an enormous chic black sun hat. When she tossed it into her cart and left we sauntered over to the display to give them a try. I immediately grabbed one of the big black hats and tried it on for her to see. Kenzi was as intrigued as I was and pointed to the one in her current favorite color, pink. (Why did I not have my camera?) For a brief moment, as I held the hat and tried it on, I remembered when I too would have nonchalantly thrown this in my cart; just trying it on made me feel different, sexy and intriguing. This thought was immediately buffered by “where in the world would I wear this hat? In my back yard which is where I swim?” The moment of contemplation was broken as Alexis exited the dressing room. We spent a few more minutes looking and then headed for the check out.
The Big Black Hat
Interestingly enough the very chic woman of a certain age was in line in front of us. Behind us was another mother daughter team and the girl caught the stylish woman’s eye and said, “Aren’t you ____’s mother?” Yes she was and a very brief greeting occurred, a short discussion on the fabulous hat and the woman, whose demeanor suggested she was a little confused about the interest on the hat, continued on to the cash register. It was so clear she knew who she was, she knew her style and now it was just a matter of picking up things to maintain it. As she paid for her purchases I could barely hear the woman’s mother behind me ask in a hushed voice, “who is that?” Try as I might I couldn’t hear much more than rumblings but I too wondered who this stylish woman was.
I couldn’t resist the temptation as I discreetly peeked behind me to notice the woman who had asked the same question I had thought. She was not unattractive but like me, there was little or no thought above comfort given to her costume. Of course I did not continue to stare at the woman but I knew we were both scrutinizing this chic woman as she paid.
She had very blonde hair that was slicked back in a small pony tail. She wore rust colored linen walking shorts and a matching top. Her large chandelier earrings, (a set of three wooden circles; brown, rust and olive green) complimented and worked perfectly with her outfit. She had on plain cork wedge sandals. Her trendy woven blanket tote was the perfect final touch to the ensemble. She looked artsy in a classic sort of way and had that put together look that said she hadn’t tried, it just happened.
As we watched her pay I could feel us both shriveling and experiencing the same unspoken epiphany. Why didn’t I take just a moment to put on a trendy bracelet and earrings to compliment my outfit and perhaps something, anything more interesting than rubber flip flops on my feet? Our body languages spoke volumes. Looking at her made us both feel old, unimaginative, uninteresting and unimportant.
When I arrived home and set about my work I couldn’t quite shake the feeling. I wondered about my tendancy lately to pay less attention to how I looked. I noticed how I had unknowingly fallen into the “well I’m only going to the fill in the blank” syndrome so why bother. So I asked myself the question again, where would I wear that hat? I swim at home and no one would see me in it anyway. The answer slowly surfaced. I would see me. More importantly I would FEEL me. I would feel beautiful, special and stylish in it. Clearly, from the way I felt for those five minutes or so, taking the time and effort to feel I’m important enough look good for me is a big part of my self esteem. It really wasn’t about the stylish woman who may or may not look like that every time she shops but it was about me and how important it is for me to look good for me.
So this morning I went back to that store and bought the sexy black hat. As I wandered through the store with a fresh attitude and eye, I saw another woman and her girlfriend, both safely, unimaginatively and comfortably dressed, remark to her friend as she gingerly carried the hat with her, “are you sure I won’t look silly?” And then I remembered the stunning woman and how unaware, confident and comfortable she was with her look as she conscientiously went about acquiring the things she knew she wanted to maintain her “SELF” in a style she felt fabulous in. She had been unaware and uninterested in what anyone else thought.
Nourishing yourself on the inside and outside are surprisingly connected and an important part of our self esteem and who we are. It sounds too simple to be true but when you feel you look good you act differently. If you feel shabby and plain you will act that way and others will feel that way about you too. It’s a great way to become and feel invisible.
What an important lesson the big black hat taught me. If I didn’t think I would be arrested for loitering, I would love to spend an afternoon quietly watching and listening to all the women who visit the big black hat display in that store!
I am officially placing neglecting to create, maintain and respect your personal sense of style on the list of things that can make a woman feel, look and act old.
v What do you feel makes a woman feel, look and act old? Share your comments and ideas in the comments section and if you enjoyed this article don’t forget to book mark it on del.icio.us. Your support is appreciated!
v By the way, to receive your free Life Journey Tools, simply click the “register for a site account” button on the right, enter your name and email and you will have access to all downloads! (I value your privacy as I do my own, your information will never be shared.)
A Word about Spontaneity
If you read my last blog you know that I am in the midst of my Personal Midlife Summer Camp Adventure and I hope by now you are in the process of your own. I have been having such a good time. I know that even though this is a camp that you grow at your own pace yesterday I almost lost an important part of the experience. Spontaneity. Here’s what happened…
As I work from home and on the computer, aside from my morning lizard and bird hunt with my German Shorthair Pointer, (also known as a walk) I really haven’t taken the opportunity to implement exercise on a regular basis into my routine. So part of my “camp agenda” is to experience some of the enormous variety of exercise disciplines available. Last week I took a spinning class, (ouch) and a yoga class. (Really liked this). This week I have planned to take a kick boxing class which I am looking forward to. In order to make the time available I had planned an extra long day at the computer. I had made some very good progress on my list when my daughter called to report on my granddaughter who has been under the weather, which has forced them both to be confined for a number of days.
I could hear the frustration and boredom from them both so I suggested that we go out and get a few new toys or activities for my granddaughter. I had felt that we could probably accomplish this in a matter of an hour or so and then I could continue with my work and still be pretty much on schedule. On the way out of the toy store were two rides for kids that I treated my granddaughter to. When they were over and as I carried her to the car she continued to point back at the store and in that sweet, soft, innocent little voice that melts your heart she said, with a confused look on her face, “ride, ride?” The toy store is about a block from a pizza place we used to frequent that includes rides and games for kids and as I looked at my daughter we both said at the same time,” maybe we should go to the pizza place for a while?”
As we walked into the restaurant with my granddaughter’s little 2 year old face lit up and tiny hands clapping my daughter squeezed my arm and said, “it feels sooo good to be out of the house”. From there we proceeded to melt into an almost magical afternoon of communing, eating and playing and time no longer had any value or reality. I spent one of the most enjoyable afternoons I have had in a while and although it was not planned or elaborate, I know it will be one of those memorable moments for me to keep that warms the soul.
The Encarta Dictionary definitions for spon.ta.ne.i.ty (noun)
1. Unconstrained behavior – behavior that is natural and unconstrained and is the result of impulse, not planning
2. Generation from within – the generating or provoking of activity from within, rather than as a result of external influences
Don’t forget to be open to spontaneous behavior. It is a very big part of that fountain of youth and finding that zest for living.
v Share your thoughts and comments and if you enjoyed this article don’t forget to book mark it on del.icio.us. Your support is appreciated!
v By the way, to receive your free Life Journey Tools, simply click the “register for a site account” button on the right, enter your name and email and you will have access to all downloads! (I value your privacy as I do my own, your information will never be shared.)
Midlife Summer Camp!
Do you remember when you were little and every summer you went to camp? Do you remember the first time you went to camp? It was a rite of passage and it signaled that you were “old enough” and it “was time”. You likely had never been away from your mother and home and even as you were excited about going, there was a big part of you that was afraid. You didn’t know exactly what it was that you were afraid of but it was something, and it was big.
I remember the excitement of what became the ritual drive up to the camp with the entire family. The settling in with my parents at my side, the meet and greet, the tour, the preview of the planned activities, lunch, and then the goodbye. That’s when the realization sunk in that although all this was supposed to be, going to be and probably might be fun…I was being LEFT. There were a few tears and a fair amount of drama at the parting and somewhere in the week of nights there was always someone in need of the counselor for what was termed “a case of homesick”. I also remember after that first camp looking forward to the next year.
It has been quite some time since I have had any first hand or current experience with the camp thing but as I talk to mothers who have they tell me it’s all specialized now. There’s space camp, science camp, gym camp, volley ball camp, you name it camp. It seems that when kids go to camp these days it is to further explore an interest. But in my day you were treated to a variety of projects and activities that you likely had never been exposed to before; canoeing, bird watching, leaf collection, the art project and the end of camp talent show you prepared for with your new friend. It was a variety of novel, stimulating and interesting activities. Do you remember?
When it was over, although you were glad to see your family, there was a part of you that hated it to end. But when it did you were surer of yourself for having survived and you felt as if you had discovered a new curiosity for the world and what it had to offer. After that first camp you somehow sensed, in a big girl way, that you would be forever different.
I think the two biggest things that can make a woman old, uninteresting and out of touch with her inner self is the lack of a sense of adventure and curiosity. I’m not saying you don’t have things in your life you enjoy. Maybe you play golf, which you love, every weekend, jog or prepare for the annual walkathon or marathon. You eat at the same places and see your same friends. You love them but somewhere along the line you notice there is nothing new in your life and it feels routine.
When did you quit trying new things to see if there is more and if it might interest you? When did you stop growing and stretching and start to simply grow old?
There are wonderful camps, or I guess I should say adventures, excursions or trips for grownups such as the outward bound experiences where you push your limits and overcome fears with the support of fellow females, ( on my bucket list) and of course the spa and relaxation thing. There are also a number of camps that specialize in the interest of your choice, i.e. rock climbing, biking, etc. You may or may not have the funds and time for a week or so off to take advantage of these but why not indulge in something even better and far more lasting.
Remember Summer Camp?
CREATE YOUR PERSONAL SUMMER CAMP ADVENTURE
The weather is beautiful and it’s the perfect time for exploring, stretching and growing. This camp isn’t structured and you grow it at your own pace. There is no pressure involved and once you begin it takes on a life of its own. When you go to this camp you will discover that you can tweak your curiosity, creativity and sense of adventure muscles without the need to leave town. The results of your efforts will leave you feeling inspired, younger, alive and hopeful; imaginative, vibrant, interested and interesting.
It’s very simple to do and here’s how it goes:
1. Pick up your city parks and recreation brochure. They usually offer a good variety of adult activities and they are generally pretty affordable. If you have an idea of what you’re interested in trying, of course the internet is priceless!
2. Start by taking ONE activity or class that genuinely intrigues you and hopefully something you can pay for by the class. (no commitment) If you like it you can continue but it still leaves the opportunity to explore other avenues.
3. From there broaden your horizons and experiment to your heart’s content. It is important to go into the “Personal Summer Camp Adventure” with your mind and attitude in the spirit of trying as many new things as possible and hanging on to the new things you discover you love.
Think of it as the perpetual life camp adventure whose purpose is to remind you to stay in touch with your inner child and curiosity in your everyday life. Hopefully you will look up one day and find that you are not just living on the surface of things; that somewhere in your adventures you have found the knack for living in the moment, simply for the moment. Maybe you will learn not to take yourself and life’s traumas so seriously. Maybe you will manage to recapture some of the pure joy and authenticity of the child you once knew who danced in the woods pretending to be a butterfly or a fairy without the fear of anyone’s judgment.
Try this, not because it is good for your business, resume, children, mate or anyone but because it is good for you. Maybe, while finding the treasure that is the zest for life and living, you will find you have become the treasure!
I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
Diane Ackerman (1948-present) quoted in Newsweek, September 22, 1986
v Sound like fun? Share your thoughts and what you are exploring for your midlife summer camp.
Deborah Hayes, CTA Life Coach
Empowering women to live a life of consequence, a life without regrets that is your own unique version of the life you love. About Deborah
deborah@womenintransitiononline.com
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